King William III bought the original mansion that later
became Kensington Palace
and commissioned the famous architect Christopher Wren to expand and improve
upon it. The Palace was a favorite royal residence until the death of George II
in 1760. The future Queen Victoria
lived there and received news of her accession to the throne while living in
the Palace. Kensington Palace
was most recently the London
residence of the late Princess Diana.
While Kensington
Palace is a working royal palace, with portions of it a private
residence for the British royal family, the State Apartments and Royal
Ceremonial Dress Collection are open to the public.
Kensington Palace is closest to the Queensway, Notting Hill Gate, High
Street Kensington, and Gloucester Road underground stations. It can also be reached by
bus routes Bayswater
Road: 12, 94. Kensington Road: 9, 10, 33, 49, 52, 52A and C1.
Buckingham Palace
Originally owned by the Dukes of Buckingham, Buckingham
Palace has been the official London
residence of the British monarchs since the accession of Queen Victoria
in 1837. The Palace is used for numerous official events and receptions.
Portions of Buckingham
Palace are open to the public,
including the State Rooms, which contains some of the finest art treasures from
the royal collection, in August and September. These include paintings by
Rembrandt, Rubens, Vermeer, Poussin, Canaletto and Claude; sculpture by Canova
and Chantrey; exquisite examples of Sèvres porcelain; and some of the finest English
and French furniture in the world.
Buckingham Palace
is most famous for the changing of the guard ceremony, which takes place in the
forecourt of Buckingham Palace
at 11:30 AM every day between April
1 and early July and every other day at other times.
Buckingham Palace
can be reached via the Victoria or Green Park underground stations.