Kensington Palace

For those who follow me on Instagram, you know I was back in London, so an article on one of their beautiful monuments.

Last year I went to the Palace of Versailles and shared with you its opulence and grandeur. This time this English residence is its opposite, no gilding profusion or extravagance, its royal occupants wanted it warm, big enough but not huge, and through the ages this palace has been improved.

This castle has been inhabited since 1689, it is now separated into two parts, one where the Prince William resides with his family, and the other open to the public.

A video of the Royal homes at the end of this article.

Queen Victoria (1819-1901) was born, raised and lived in this residence until her coronation in 1838.

But this is also where she met her beloved Albert (Prince Albert of Saxe-Cobourg-Gotha) whom she cherished all her life.
​
And for fans of romantic stories, I recommend the Victoria series with Jenna Coleman in the role of the queen.

At the age of 18 she became Queen, a heavy role for her frail shoulders and yet she was going to demonstrate to the world that she was destined to reign for a long time (63 years, 7 months and 2 days).
​
She then moved to Buckingham Palace and became the first sovereign to reside there.

Royalty means jewels of course, it reminds me my Solo Wedding in Santorini. By the way, I hope you liked my last article Birds Paradise, magnificent exhibition of brooches.

The ones Victoria wore were second to none, including the 105,602 carats Koh-i Nor Diamond (displayed at the Tower of London), a symbol of British power in India, because we must not forget that Queen Victoria was also Empress of India.

In this respect, she had a real attachment to this country, from which she learned the language and the culture. She even befriended Abdul Karim, an Indian servant. Friendship that cinema has brought to the screen in the film Victoria and Abdul (with Dame Judith Olivia Dench).

The family was very important to Victoria, she shared her reign with her role as mother and grandmother. She will never recover from the death of her husband and mourned the rest of her life by adopting black as colour. She even kept the room in which he died and came often to reflect.

20,000 new laws under 24 different governments.
Her era saw the invention of the steam train, steamboat, bicycle, car, telegraph and telephone.
At her Diamond Jubilee, 3 million people came to see her.

Without a doubt a Queen that everybody will remember ...

It is hard to talk about Kensington Palace without thinking of Lady Di where she lived, even after her divorce until her tragic death in 1997.

A gallery is dedicated to the outfits created by David Sassoon, her favourite fashion designer.
​
You will notice on some sketches the annotations of the princess.

Next article next Saturday.
Have a good week!
 
Love & History,
L.