STAFF VISIT TO KENSINGTON PALACE – LONDON
As the royal home to many of Britain’s Queens, Kings and most recently the much loved ‘people’s princess’ Diana, Leoni and I were hugely appreciative to be invited to take part in a staff review at Kensington Palace and walk within these famous footsteps. We managed to jam pack our day trip to London by visiting two of the London Historic Royal Palaces which is easily do-able both in one day. Here’s our Kensington Palace review…
Our experience began by walking through the quaint Kensington Gardens towards the palace entrance. We were then greeted by a member of the HRP team in their iconic red suited uniforms and shown to the where the tour of the palace begins. First of all, we headed up The King Staircase with the paintings on the wall capturing a typical 18th century court and the white and black chequered tile print floor. It definitely feels pretty surreal strolling around where our Kings and Queens would have entertained many of the country’s richest elites back in the day (we even felt a bit posh!). Next stop, was the King’s State Apartments featuring grand ceiling paintings and intricate woven tapestries. There are informative placards around the room with interesting facts like how William III caught a cold after playing in the Kings Gallery which caused his early death in 1702. Also, in the Kings Apartments are some old-fashioned style dresses with the huge skirts (see the photo of Leoni below trying out the look) which she can’t quite pull off – sorry Leoni best to leave it to the Kings and Queens!
The King’s Apartments then follows through to The Queen’s State Apartments which includes the Queen’s Gallery, Closet and Dining Room. You can even see porcelain china that the King and Queen would have used to dine on their favourite dishes of fish and beer. When we visited Kensington Palace (on the 8/03/2017) they had the Diana Fashion Exhibition which will run at the Palace for 2 years which was truly inspiring. I had little knowledge about the influence Princess Diana had on people and the way she would dress to cater for her different appearances. This moving exhibition will be at the Palace for 2 years so get yourself there!
You then head out towards the Palace Gardens and see the ‘The Sunken Garden’. Although it was drizzly wet day, the neat hedgerows and water fountains were still just as picturesque. Leoni and I didn’t eat in The Orangery but this apparently does delicious Breakfast, Lunch or Afternoon Teas which are just as on par to match the elegance of the Kensington Palace as a whole.
Thank you to Historic Royal Palaces for letting us experience some of the finer things in life and take a trip round both Kensington Palace and The Tower of London. Keep an eye out for our visit to The Banqueting House too!
