Those of us who were lucky enough to join this trip were blessed with a bright and sunny, if slightly chilly day – perfect conditions in which to enjoy the excellent audio tour of the house, lunch in the Orangery and a chance to explore the beautiful gardens.

Kensington Palace started out as a small suburban villa called Nottingham House, but it was purchased by William and Mary in 1689 because they disliked London which was too ‘smoky and damp’ and wanted a home in the countryside. With lavish plans drawn up by Sir Christopher Wren, they transformed the house into an opulent retreat.

Throughout the palace there is a real balance of the state uses of some of the rooms through to the more private personal areas. In the various displays and exhibitions, you get a real sense of both the formal and informal sides of royal life.

The Palace is a square looking compact residence with a wonderful formal staircase that leads up to the state apartment on the second and third floors. In the Queen’s State apartments which were created for Queen Mary you can look out to the gardens which she wanted to reflect her Dutch heritage. She greatly favoured the tulip – which was an extremely expensive flower to purchase at that time and there were still tulips out on the day we visited. Of particular interest to those who enjoy a bit of ‘horrible history’ was the bed where James Edward Stuart is thought to have been born. The son of James the second and Queen Mary of Modena he was born in 1688 but due to religious factions wanting to ensure he would never inherit the crown, rumours were spread that the baby was an imposter who had been smuggled into the royal bed in a warming pan to replace a stillborn child.

In the King’s State Apartments, suitably decorated with scenes of Court life from the time of George 1st, you can see how visitors had to work their way through a series of rooms before they were able to be in the presence of the King. In the same suite is the Privy Chamber where Queen Caroline entertained guests. As is the case in many of the rooms you need to look up to appreciate the magnificent ceiling painted by William Kent in 1723.

In the King’s gallery, which contains many fine paintings, we are told that William lll used to play soldiers with his little nephew, another sign that this was used as both a palace for business of state and a family home.
On the 24th May 1819, Queen Victoria was born at Kensington Palace and in the display entitled ‘Victoria – a royal childhood’, you can get a real feel of what life must have been like for her as she grew up. Great care has been taken to try to restore the rooms to how they would have looked to Victoria, with Regency style fixtures and fittings. You can see a scrap book of mementos about her early life created by her governess Baroness Lehezen and her dolls house which is a microcosm of the fashion of the time.

In The Jewel Room there are some real treasures which really take your breath away. The finest, is a set of a diamond and emerald tiara, a necklace, earrings, and a brooch which Prince Albert commissioned for his beloved wife. The workmanship in these gems is extraordinary and showcases the exquisite workmanship of nineteenth century goldsmiths and Prince Albert’s flair for design.

Currently, there is a fascinating exhibition in the Palace titled ‘Dress Codes’. It looks at the codes and conventions of fashion and the impact that can be made when it pushes the boundaries. There are a number of outfits worn by Royalty, some of whom were brave enough to challenge the accepted constraints of the establishment. The most notable of these were Edward 7th and Princess Diana and there are several of their outfits on display. You can also see one of queen Victoria’s black mourning dresses which is beautifully crafted in rich fabric and lace. The dress is almost as wide as it is tall illustrating that even royalty can suffer from ‘middle aged spread’! This is in stark contrast to a stunning long dark green velvet dress worn by Diana the waist of which is startlingly small.

Throughout the Palace there are wonderful items on display, for example, a Tompion Barometer, a carving around a fireplace by Grinling Gibbons, a Van Dyke portrait of Charles I on horseback and an ingenious instrument that was once attached to a wind dial on the roof and allowed William to see which way the wind was blowing without having to venture outside. There are also some frankly ridiculous items including several examples of the extra wide dresses that women wore to court in the mid-18th century. These garments are narrow from front to back but extend out for several feet on either side. The thought of trying to get through a normal door, let alone sit down in them just leaves one breathless!

Following the tour of the Palace, the Firebird party made its way to the Orangery which is described as a ‘Baroque Potting shed’, referring to its former use in the gardens. Now it is a wonderfully bright and airy restaurant where we were served a delicious lunch. The food was well cooked and presented and the attention from the staff was outstanding. Those of us who chose to have a glass of wine were delighted to be informed that they were ‘on the house’ (from Firebirds funds)! Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch, I couldn’t help noticing the afternoon teas that some of the visitors were having. I made a mental note to return before too long to try one out …

As always, the Firebirds found plenty to talk and laugh about and the chance to catch up with good friends was obviously valued, but all good things must come to an end and the party eventually dispersed to go their separate ways – some to look at the gardens and some to beat the rush hour traffic home.
On my way out I stopped to look at the sunken garden where there is the statue of Diana, Princess of Wales, which was commissioned by her sons and unveiled by them on July 1st 2021 which would have been her 60th birthday. Diana lived at Kensington Palace for fifteen years and was particularly fond of this bright peaceful area. In the paving around the statue is this poem:

‘These are the units to measure the worth
Of this woman as a woman, regardless of birth.
Not what was her station?
But had she a heart?
How did she play her God-given part?’

This is a moving memorial to a remarkable woman and was a reminder of the fact that royalty, whilst living in a world of wealth and privilege, bear huge responsibilities and pay a high price for their loss of a normal family life. Can a Palace really also be a home?

Thank you to El Moss and the committee who organised this splendid day out.