12 Little-Known Facts About Kensington Palace, The Home of Prince William and Kate Middleton
If you're as obsessed with the royal fam as I am (I've been a Queen Elizabeth stan for as long as I can remember, tbh), then you'll want to be informed about everything there is to know about the famous family—especially when it comes to where, and how, they live.
Kensington Palace has long been the home of English monarchs and is currently where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (aka Kate Middleton and Prince William) reside. But what else if there to know about the palace? Read below to find out some shocking secrets and juicy details—and just how socialite Nicky Hilton (yes, that Nicky Hilton) has a special connection to it.
It's more than 400 years old.
The two-story residence was built way back in 1605—414 years ago, to be exact.
It was originally a mansion called Nottingham House.
King William III and Queen Mary purchased the property back in 1689.
Kensington Palace became a royal residence due to...asthma?
Because of King William's health problems, he and Queen Mary moved to Nottingham House—farther away from River Thames, which caused his asthma to act up. It was renovated and turned into the Kensington Palace we know today.
It was the birthplace and childhood home of Queen Victoria.
Kensington Palace was also the place where Queen Victoria first laid eyes on Prince Albert. The couple went on to have nine children, and a great love story.
The royal residence was almost completely bulldozed back in the 1890s.
The palace had been neglected, and was to be torn down by the English government—but Queen Victoria stepped up and got Parliament to approve renovations.
Princess Margaret would throw star-studded parties at Kensington Palace in the 1960s.
In attendance were most notably The Beatles, Peter Sellers, Britt Eckland, Spike Millegan, Rudolph Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn and Elizabeth Taylor.
It's where Prince William and Prince Harry were raised.
The two brothers called Kensington Palace home, along with their late mother Princess Diana.
Millions of flowers were left at the palace gates after Princess Diana's death.
After Lady Di's death in August of 1997, British mourners placed millions—literally millions—of flowers outside the gates of Kensington Palace in tribute to the Princess. There were so many that people had to volunteer to help clean up the wilting blooms days later.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as well as their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, call Kensington Palace their home.
The Queen gifted the royal fam Apartment 1A, which is made up of a slew of rooms—20, to be exact, and on four stories. The humble home used to belong to Princess Margaret.
Nicky Hilton was married at Kensington Palace.
The hotel heiress married her husband, James Rothschild, at the royal residence in 2015. The reception took place in Kensington Palace’s Orangery Terrace, with dinner in a marquee on the Orangery West Lawn. The ceremony itself was located on The Orangery.
The gardens of Kensington Palace inspired the story of Peter Pan.
Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens was written in 1906 by M. Barrie, and was a prequel to Disney's film version.
A wildflower meadow was recently planted in Kensington Palace's gardens.
Poppies, campion, daisies, ragged robin, and many other native wild flowers are now on display in the famous gardens.
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