Fascinating facts about Kensington Palace and its royal residents

Everyone knows that Buckingham Palace is the official and most important royal residence, but Kensington Palace is where the real action is! For centuries, it's been home to the senior royals. The sprawling estate has many different apartments where everyone from Queen Victoria to Princess Diana have resided. Needless to say, the palace is a hotbed of royal intrigue. Click through the following gallery to learn more about this fascinating chunk of history and its royal residents.

Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace began its life as a modest villa, located a couple of miles from the center of London.

Building Kensington

He found a spot he liked and hired royal architect Sir Christopher Wren to expand it into the grand estate we now know as Kensington Palace.

Home of the royals

Since that time, it has been home to royals of every station. Often, many branches of the royal family have lived there at the same time. There’s no problem with space, as the palace reportedly has 775 rooms!

The Prince and Princess of Wales

The palace is divided into large sections called apartments. Prince William and his growing family moved to Windsor in 2022, but apartment 1A (which has 21 rooms) is still their London residence.

Prince George in pajamas

It was on this occasion that President Obama was greeted by a three-year-old Prince George wearing a robe!

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

They lived at Kensington initially, but decided to move to a more remote royal cottage when the media attention became too much for them.

Princess Margaret

The previous tenants of apartment 1A were Princess Margaret and her then-husband, Antony Armstrong-Jones. The Queen’s sister had a reputation for loving parties!

Princess Diana

Prince Charles and Princess Diana lived in apartment 8 of Kensington Palace, and raised William and Harry there.

Close surveillance

The gates of Kensington Palace are always well guarded by paparazzi, so getting anyone in or out of the palace secretly would require some planning.

The tragedy

There is quite a bit of dark history associated with Kensington Palace. In his tell-all memoir, her butler also shared that Princess Diana buried the body of her friend’s stillborn baby in the garden.

Hauntings at Kensington

It’s rumored that Kensington Palace is a hotbed of paranormal activity. The nursery in Prince William and Kate’s apartment is said to be one of the most haunted spots.

King George II's ghost

It’s also alleged that the ghost of King George II haunts the King’s Gallery, where he is said to have uttered his last words: “Why won’t they come?”

The dining room delivery

Queen Victoria was born in the dining room at Kensington Palace! This strange location was chosen as it’s closer to the kitchen in case they needed hot water.

J.M. Barrie

J.M. Barrie, the author of the ‘Peter Pan’ stories, wrote a book called ‘Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens.’ He commissioned a sculptor to create a bronze statue of Peter Pan and install it in the gardens of Kensington Palace without permission!

Billy Porter

Kensington Palace has continued to influence art in modern times. At the 2020 Oscars, Billy Porter wore an incredible gown inspired by Kensington Palace.

A palace for the public

Parts of Kensington Palace are open to the public for visits. Members of the public can buy tickets to visit the State Apartments and see where Queen Victoria grew up.

Nicky Hilton

Other parts of the palace are open, for a price! Hotel heiress Nicky Hilton married banking heir James Rothschild in Kensington Palace’s Orangery, a beautiful event space sometimes rented for an astronomical cost.