Kensington Palace is open, believe it or not, to visitors. None of the royals currently reside there (though Will and Kate are rumored to be moving in after his posting at Anglesea) but plenty of famous princesses have called the brick mansion home. The exhibit created a labyrinthine quest for guests to discover the history of seven princesses. It was utterly enchanting and artfully done.
Guests are even encouraged to open drawers, play with toys, sit on a throne and wander. It was incredible. And lovely. I can’t recommend it enough.
{While photography was allowed, flash wasn’t, and the lighting was dim, so please forgive the graininess.}
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| Princess Margaret’s wedding tiara |
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| Dress worn by Princess Diana at the Bolshoi |
Some of the garden areas were undergoing construction, presumably for the upcoming Olympics. But the Sunken Gardens were still open and they were collecting secrets to be strung from the arbor. Yes, we wrote one up and no, I’m not telling.
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| “I have a secret crush on Prof. Snape!” |
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| “I want to steal the crown jewels and wear all of them.” |
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| “I sometimes wish I was an Arsenal fan.” |
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| The Orangery in the background. |
After a lovely stroll in the gardens, we took tea at the Orangery. It was built in 1704-5 by Queen Anne as a greenhouse for citrus trees (mainly oranges, hence the name). I had chocolate tea. Yes, you read that right. CHOCOLATE TEA.
Since we were in the neighborhood, and were already pretending to be royalty, we stopped by Harrod’s. Just to say hi.
After that, a stop at Wellington’s Arch, the Tate Britain and the Chelsea Physic Garden… stay tuned!