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Home / Type of trip / Attractions / Kensington Palace tour

Kensington Palace tour

May 26, 2014 by Gretta Schifano 13 Comments

Kensington palace. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Kensington Palace. Copyright Gretta Schifano

‘In Georgian times anyone could come here and join the royal court as long as they were wearing the right clothes’ says Alison, our City Wonders tour guide. But the outfits on display barely qualify as clothes. I think they’re best described as expensive constructions:

Dress, Kensington Palace. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Dress, Kensington Palace. Copyright Gretta Schifano

We’re at London’s Kensington Palace, purchased by King William and Queen Mary for £20,000 in 1689. Alison explains that at that time Kensington was a country village and the royal couple moved there because William was asthmatic and they needed to escape the polluted air of central London. Kensington today is one of London’s wealthiest and busiest areas and is home to some of the capital’s top museums – it’s hard to imagine it as a village.

We meet Alison by the statue of Queen Victoria at the front of the palace in beautiful Kensington Gardens. We’re in a small group with just our family of four and a couple from the USA and we’re each given headphones and an audio device so that we can hear Alison. We can actually hear what she’s saying very easily so I soon turn my device off.

Diana, Princess of Wales

Before we go inside we walk around to the golden gates at the side of the building. These gates were the backdrop to the vast carpet of flowers people left here when Diana, Princess of Wales died in 1997 – Alison pulls an A4 size photo out of her bag to show us what that vast floral tribute looked like.

I like going around the palace with Alison because she tells us things which you wouldn’t find in a guidebook and draws parallels between the past with the present which I wouldn’t necessarily have noticed. For example she talks about the symbolism of fans at the Georgian court and then how our present queen uses her handbag to signal to her servants when she’s ready to go or move on.

Prince George

The palace has some grand and beautiful rooms and furnishings yet it feels current and alive: perhaps that’s because generations of royals have grown up here. This was Queen Victoria’s birthplace and childhood home and you can see the dolls house she played with as a child. The palace is still the home of royals today. Baby Prince George moved in last year with his parents William and Kate and his uncle Prince Harry also has an apartment at the palace. Alison says there’s a nightclub Prince Harry likes nearby which anyone can go to as long as the doormen like the look of them – it sounds a bit like the royal court in Georgian times.

My teenage daughter and I enjoy looking at the clothes on display. I love the rooms with a selection of gorgeous outfits worn by either by the Queen, Princess Margaret or Diana across the decades but my favourite is Queen Victoria’s wedding dress:

Queen Victoria's wedding dress. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Queen Victoria’s wedding dress. Copyright Izzy Schifano

Afternoon tea

Once we’ve looked around the palace we walk through Kensington Gardens and over the road to the Baglioni Hotel for the final part of the tour: afternoon tea. The Baglioni is part of an Italian luxury hotel group and the interior is all velvet upholstered seats, ornate chandeliers and white table linen. Afternoon tea is some delicate sandwiches, tasty cakes and scones with jam, cream and, shockingly, Nutella. (I know many people like Nutella but it really shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near afternoon tea).

The verdict

My husband and I enjoyed the afternoon but the youngest (11) was not so keen. Our daughter (15) liked the palace and our guide but says she’d prefer to go and look around by ourselves. I don’t think I’d go on a tour like this again with the children but I would consider it without them.

[yo-widget href=”http://yonderbound.com/activities/kensington-palace-tour/act3562″]

Family travel lowdown

Thank you to City Wonders for arranging our tour. We experienced the Skip the Line Kensington Palace Tour & Afternoon Tea which costs from £65 per adult and £60 per child inclusive.

If you’d like to go to Kensington Palace  without a guide then entrance costs from £15.40 per adult if booked online, under-16s are free and afternoon tea at the Baglioni Hotel costs from £27 per person. You can also have afternoon tea at The Orangery restaurant at Kensington Palace.

What do you think?

If you’ve ever been on a guided tour with your children how did it work out for you? Do you have any tips or advice for visiting historical places with kids?

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Related

Categories: Attractions, City, Things to do in London with kids
Tags: Afternoon tea, Baglioni hotel, Kensington palace

About Gretta Schifano

I'm a freelance journalist and blogger specialising in family travel with teenagers, trips when parents manage to travel without their kids, and 50+ travel. I also write about vegetarian travel, parenting teenagers, adoption, SEN, ADHD and anxiety. My work's been published by the Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, National Geographic Traveller, Lonely Planet and others. I've lived and worked in Italy and Spain and am now based in rural south-east England with my husband, adoptive and birth kids and our dog. I previously worked as a social action radio producer for the BBC.

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Comments

  1. wendy says

    June 2, 2014 at 12:31 pm

    I went to Kensington Palace on a school trip. I would love to go back one day, it looks amazing day out. Thanks for sharing x
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  2. Polly says

    June 1, 2014 at 6:22 pm

    I visited Kensington Palace years ago, my history mad 11 year old is desperate to go!
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  3. Jenny says

    May 31, 2014 at 5:36 pm

    I love Kensington Palace but I would never go with my children until they’re a lot older (they’re 2 and 4).
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    Reply
  4. Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says

    May 31, 2014 at 6:37 am

    It sounds like a great tour however the cost would definitely put me off! It would cost a fortune for the 5 of us to go I’d much rather pay £15.40 and buy a guide. If money wasn’t an issue I’d love a tour and afternoon tea, minus the nutella!
    Kirsty Hijacked By Twins recently posted…Honey and Carrot CakeMy Profile

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    • Gretta Schifano says

      May 31, 2014 at 11:32 am

      I know, it is quite pricey, especially as kids can go in for free.

      Reply
  5. Shell Louise says

    May 30, 2014 at 9:58 pm

    I totally agree about keeping nutella away from afternoon tea! The tour sounds like something I’d really enjoy.
    Shell Louise recently posted…52 weeks of gratitudeMy Profile

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  6. Charlotte says

    May 30, 2014 at 4:19 pm

    Oh that looks really interesting, think I’ll have to wait till my boys are a bit older until we could visit somewhere like that though!
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  7. Mel W says

    May 30, 2014 at 3:02 pm

    The ground looks lovely and I would like to see Queen Victoria’s wedding dress

    I have to say one thing though – Nutella! Oh gosh that shouldn’t be allowed 🙂
    Mel W recently posted…Joshua James Jewellery Sale Now OnMy Profile

    Reply
  8. Sarah Ebner says

    May 30, 2014 at 2:16 pm

    I think we would really like this. Rob loves audio tours and finding out as much as possible, so it would be interesting to try it. We’ve never been to KP (shocking, I know), but you make it sound appealing…
    Sarah Ebner recently posted…What We Like To Do On A Hot Sunny Day – Video PostMy Profile

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  9. S J Thurley says

    May 30, 2014 at 12:19 pm

    What a lovely day you all had. I’m not sure my 13 year old would appreciate it either but I think my daughter whose 17 would love it. How lovely to be in the same building as the younger royals. Great post……….Made me want to book up. xx

    Reply
  10. Trish says

    May 28, 2014 at 6:59 am

    You can never be sure if your children will enjoy a place or not and I suppose having a guide extends the visit. My son, at a similar age to yours at the time, loved the guide we had in Pompeii but we were out in th open air. If I remember rightly, stately home visits tended to be a quick dash round or we stuck to the gardens.
    Trish recently posted…Having a chilled weekend near Hyde ParkMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      May 28, 2014 at 7:44 am

      I think a quick dash is probably the best approach!

      Reply
  11. Jenny/Mum says

    May 26, 2014 at 6:37 pm

    Nutella with afternoon tea ! Whatever next, certainly not the thing to have with afternoon tea.
    I remember going to see the flowers at Kensington Palace in 1997 after Princess Diana died. Not something I would normally do but somehow it felt like an occasion that would go down in History. I was in London on business that day so went on the spur of the moment. It was quite overwhelming to see not only the amount of floral tributes but the people who were there.
    Jenny/Mum recently posted…Kensington Palace tourMy Profile

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This is a personal blog written and edited by me, Gretta Schifano. Sometimes I’m given products or sent on trips to review, but I always make this clear and give my honest opinion. See my About page for full details.

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