A quick breakfast and we are off to visit Kensington Palace this morning.
Kensington Palace has been the home of royals since King William and Queen Mary in the 17th century. It was the birthplace of Queen Victoria, and it currently houses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Gloucester, Kent, Prince/Princess Michael of Kent, and Princess Eugenie and her husband. Princess Diana lived there from her marriage to Prince Charles until her death.
This wallpaper was nothing short of amazing.
They had tons of Diana memorabilia.
The Palace was originally a house bought by Queen Mary and King William in 1689. Pics above are from the Queen’s Gallery. Her personal area in which she sewed, chatted, and played games with her ladies. Pics below are of the Queen’s bedrooms and drawing room. She died in KP at age 32 of smallpox. Her husband, King William died here eight years later following a fall from a horse at Hampton Court.
Moving on to the Presence Chamber of King George II.
Some handy instructions on how to bow and curtsey.
This massive dress from around 1750 is called a Mantua. The wide petticoat showed off the beautiful expensive fabric only the very wealthy could afford. Very pretty, but how uncomfortable. I can’t even imagine how you would go to the bathroom in this. 
Through the King’s Gallery down the King’s Staircase.
Loved the tiaras. My favorite were Queen Victoria’s Emerald Tiara (1845) and the Fife Diamond Tiara (1887.)
The beautiful Sunken Garden.
Tried to get a picture of Will and Kate’s Apartment 1A, then realized there were signs warning me against it. Whoops.
xoxo-sk
ps. I loved the bathroom signage.
Westminster Palace. Once a Royal residence, it’s now home of the English Parliament.
And the other side of Westminster. It’s hard to get a good picture of it because the building is so long and massive. Lots of action that day with some Brexit protests (both for and against), so there was a major police presence. 
Big Ben is under reconstruction (2017-2021.) Its name was officially changed in 2012 to the Elizabeth Tower, honoring Queen Elizabeth’s 60 year reign. It was built in 1859.
Beside the main Palace of Westminster is the Jewel Tower, what is left from the 14th century version of the Palace. A fire destroyed most of the old Westminster Palace in 1834, but the Jewel Tower survived.
The facade of Whitehall’s Banqueting Hall, all that’s left of the once grand palace, a royal residence from 1530 to 1698. King Charles I was executed outside the Hall in 1649.
The Banqueting Hall was used to host royal receptions, ceremonies, and masques. Before a series of fires in 1698, Whitehall Palace had 1,500 rooms.
We visited the Queen at Buckingham Palace (flag was up, she was in.) BP has been the official London home of the monarch since 1837, but was originally bought by King George III in 1761 for use as a small family home close to neighboring St. James Palace.
775 rooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 78 bathrooms. Wow.
One last Royal Residence stop – St. James Palace. It was built in the 1530s by King Henry VIII. It was one of the main residences used by the monarch until Queen Victoria moved shop to Buckingham Palace. Members of the Royal Family that currently live there are Princess Anne, Princess Beatrice, and Princess Alexandra. The guards I chatted with while trying to get a good picture seemed very fond of their residents.
xoxo-sk 