Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace already had a long history when Diana moved in with the Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, after her separation (and 1996 divorce) from Prince Charles. Built in 1605, the palace became the favourite royal residence under William and Mary of Orange in 1689, and remained so until George III became king and relocated to Buckingham Palace. Even after that the royal family stayed here occasionally, with Queen Victoria being born here in 1819. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Kensington Palace was variously renovated by Sir Christopher Wren and William Kent. A self-paced audio tour leads you through the surprisingly small, wood-panelled State Apartments dating from William’s time and then the grander apartments by Kent. For most visitors, however, the highlight is the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, which contains costumes and outfits dating from the 18th century to the present day, including some of Diana’s most impressive frocks. Most beautiful of all the quarters is the Cupola Room, where the ceremony initiating men into the exclusive Order of the Garter took place and where Victoria was christened; you can see the order’s crest painted on the trompe l’œil ‘domed’ ceiling, which is actually flat. The Queen’s Apartments nearby is where Queen Mary entertained her visitors. The King’s Gallery, the largest and longest of the State Apartments displays some of the royal art collection, including the only known painting of a classical subject by Van Dyck. On the ceiling William Kent painted the story of Odysseus but slipped up by giving the Cyclops two eyes. The King’s Drawing Room is dominated by a monumentally ugly painting of Cupid and Venus by Giorgio Vasari (1511–74), an Italian mannerist painter who used to brag about the speed at which he worked and was better known for his historical record of the Renaissance. There are splendid views of the park and gardens from here; you can also see the Round Pond, once full of turtles for turtle soup but now popular for sailing model boats. The King’s Staircase is decorated with striking murals by William Kent, who painted himself in a turban on the fake dome. The Sunken Garden near the palace is at its prettiest in summer; the nearby Orangery designed by Vanbrugh and Hawksmoor as a free-standing conservatory in 1704, is a bright, rather formal, place for tea.