Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace An elegant retreat for Britain’s royal family for over three centuries. We tell the stories of the monarchs you know and the lives you don’t.
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Cared for by Historic Royal Palaces, the charity who love and look after six of the most wonderful palaces in the world. The feminine influence of generations of royal women has shaped this stylish palace and elegant gardens. The birthplace and childhood home of Queen Victoria, the palace first became a royal residence for William and Mary in 1689. Mary felt ‘shut in’ at Whitehall and much preferr

ed her new Kensington home, which was enlarged by Sir Christopher Wren. The famous Orangery, was built in 1704 by Queen Anne, and George II’s wife, Queen Caroline, another keen gardener, added further improvements. At Historic Royal Palaces, we want our palaces and online presence to be welcoming spaces for everyone. The history we share on our social media channels is rooted in rigorous research conducted by our team of professional historians and curators. We ask that people commenting on our social media posts do so in an appropriate manner that is respectful of others commenting and of those who work with and for us. We ask that comments are not offensive, threatening, disruptive, inappropriate, off-topic, spamming or commercial in nature. We also ask that comments do not focus on other peoples’ appearance (either positive or negative), unless it’s specific to the topic of a post. For details of how we moderate social media posts, please read our Social Media Moderation Policy https://www.hrp.org.uk/about-us/policies/social-media-moderation-policy/. Comments on our page are post-moderated - if you wish to report anything inappropriate, please message us, or you can report comments using Facebook’s reporting tools. Our moderation policy is in accordance with Facebook's community standards: https://www.facebook.com/communitystandards and our own house rules linked to above. Please note that comments made by others do not represent the views of Historic Royal Palaces.

150 years ago, Princess Sophia Duleep Singh was born 🎈Punjabi Princess Sophia Duleep Singh is best known as a suffrage...
08/08/2026

150 years ago, Princess Sophia Duleep Singh was born 🎈

Punjabi Princess Sophia Duleep Singh is best known as a suffragette who actively fought for women’s rights, using her position to further the cause. ➡️ Swipe for the iconic image of Sophia selling copies of The Suffragette newspaper outside Hampton Court Palace.

Sophia's philanthropy extended far beyond women's rights, and she supported many individuals and causes in her life. This includes her time spent volunteering as a nurse during the First World War and, when Indian Soldiers were encamped at Hampton Court, Sophia made every effort to visit them and to invite as many as she could to Faraday House where she lived.

Like her sister Catherine Duleep Singh, Sophia’s life was truly dedicated to the fight for equality and the support of others.

The story of Sophia Duleep Singh and the women who shaped her is explored in our current exhibition at Kensington Palace, created to celebrate Sophia's 150th birthday. Find out more 👉 https://bit.ly/LastPrincessesofPunjab

The Last Princesses of Punjab
📆 Until 8 November 2026
📍 Kensington Palace

📷 Peter Bance Collection, Alamy

31/07/2026

Reflecting on The Last Princesses of Punjab ✨

We spoke to some of our exhibition donors about what Sophia Duleep Singh and her family's stories mean to them and why they chose to support our current exhibition at Kensington Palace.

Thank you to our donors Khalsa Jatha British Isles, Gurdwara Aid, Guru Nanak Darbar (Gravesend), Gurdwara Sikh Sangat (London City) and RGB Direct for your generous support of this exhibition.

The Last Princesses of Punjab 👉 https://bit.ly/LastPrincessesofPunjab
📆 Until 8 November 2026
📍 Kensington Palace
🎵 Music composed by Rushil Ranjan

29/07/2026

A royal childhood at Kensington Palace 👸

Queen Victoria was born and grew up in these rooms, and her first council meeting as Queen was held in the Red Saloon. She reigned for 63 years, seven months and two days.

🎥 You can discover the story of Princess Victoria in the rooms where she was born and raised.
📍Victoria: A Royal Childhood at Kensington Palace

19/07/2026

Happy ! 🏰

As we celebrate this year's theme of 'Textiles & Silk', we're taking a closer look at the Queen Anne Throne Canopy, on display at Kensington Palace 🔎 Assistant Curator Myles Campbell tells us more…

Its conservation is just one example of the many projects our team carries out to care for the remarkable textiles and historic objects in our collection so they can be enjoyed by all who come to our palaces 🤩

Find out more about silks at European Royal Residences in a new online exhibition 👉 https://bit.ly/PalaceDay26

09/07/2026

The lesser-known Princesses Pauline and Irene Duleep Singh 👑

Princess Pauline and Princess Irene were the children of Maharaja Duleep Singh and his second wife Maharani Ada. Pauline was born in Moscow in 1887 and Irene was born in Paris in 1889. Compared to Duleep Singh's other children, very little is known about their lives and elements have been misrepresented or are missing.

Curator Mishka Sinha tells their story, which is shared in our current exhibition The Last Princesses of Punjab at Kensington Palace 👉 https://bit.ly/LastPrincessesofPunjab

The Last Princesses of Punjab:
📆 Until 8 November 2026
📍 Kensington Palace
🎵 Music composed by Rushil Ranjan

01/07/2026

The Last Princesses of Punjab at Kensington Palace ✨

This , we're reflecting on the stories of Punjabi princess Sophia Duleep Singh and the women who shaped her life. Their extraordinary family history is explored in our current exhibition. Find out more 👉 https://bit.ly/LastPrincessesofPunjab.

The Last Princesses of Punjab
📆 Until 8 November 2026
📍 Kensington Palace
🎵 Music composed by Rushil Ranjan

17/06/2026

⚽ Come on England! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Everyone at Kensington Palace will be cheering on the England football team ahead of their opening World Cup match tonight 💪

Let us know if you need any subs 😉

12/06/2026

The lions at Kensington Palace are getting some well-earned mane-tenance 🦁

High on the palace's south front, the King's Gallery is adorned with an array of carved lion heads. Installed in 1695 during the reign of William III, these lions have been watching over the palace for more than 300 years 👑

🎥 Curator Lee Prosser tells us more about the work taking place to conserve these lions 🤩

10/06/2026

William III and Mary II were England’s first and only joint sovereigns 👑 When they came to the throne, Kensington Palace was a small suburban villa called Nottingham House.

They were first based in Whitehall Palace, in the heart of London. However, the smoke and damp of the city, and long travelling time to their more rural home at Hampton Court spurred them to search for a new home with easy access to Parliament.

In 1689, they commissioned Sir Christopher Wren to transform Nottingham House into a palace 🏰

🎥 Palace Host Guide James Ellison tells us more...

Who else is excited for a sunny Bank Holiday Monday at Kensington Palace 🙋‍♀️ ☀️ We can't think of a better place to spe...
25/05/2026

Who else is excited for a sunny Bank Holiday Monday at Kensington Palace 🙋‍♀️ ☀️ We can't think of a better place to spend the day!

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