Episode 165: Kensington Palace
From William III and Mary II’s transformation of Nottingham House to Queen Caroline’s influence on Kensington Gardens and the tightly controlled childhood of Queen Victoria, this episode explores Kensington Palace room by room and reign by reign.
Host: Hazel Baker
Hazel is an active Londoner, a keen theatre-goer and qualified CIGA London tour guide.
She has won awards for tour guiding and is proud to be involved with some great organisations. She is a freeman of the Worshipful Company of Marketors and am an honorary member of The Leaders Council.
Channel 4: The Orient Express: A Golden Era of Travel (Episode 1). Channel 5’s Walking Wartime Britain(Episode 3) and Yesterday Channel’s The Architecture the Railways Built (Series 3, Episode 7). Het Rampjaar 1672, Afl. 2: Vijand Engeland and Arte.fr Invitation au Voyage, À Chelsea, une femme qui trompe énormément. Yesterday Channel / UKTV Play: The Architecture the Railways Built (Series 3, Episode 7). Yesterday Channel / UKTV Play: Secrets of the London Underground (Series 3, Episode 2) and Secrets of the London Underground (Series 4, Episode 10). NPO (Netherlands): Het Rampjaar 1672 – Afl. 2: Vijand Engeland. Arte France: Invitation au Voyage – À Chelsea, une femme qui trompe énormément
Guest: Philip Scott
Philip moved to London from Lancashire, where he grew up, in 1981. He loves living in London and sharing his passion for and knowledge of this wonderful city’s rich history, culture and diversity.
After teaching politics, history and other humanities subjects in east London for 33 years; He transferred the skills he acquired as a teacher to become a qualified tour guide in 2019 (City of Westminster qualification).
He really enjoy guiding people around London, not only the main sights but also parts of central London that are off the main thoroughfares. His walks are delivered in an informative, friendly and accessible style. As well as the more obvious information, he likes to share little-known and slightly quirky nuggets.
Introduction
Kensington Palace is one of London’s most revealing royal residences: a place of intimate family life, ambitious building schemes, courtly rivalry, political influence and public mourning.
In this episode of the London History Podcast, Hazel Baker is joined by City of Westminster tour guide Phil Scott for a room-by-room and reign-by-reign exploration of Kensington Palace. Together, they trace its story from its origins as Nottingham House in the Middlesex countryside, through William III and Mary II’s transformation of it into a royal palace, to its spectacular Georgian state rooms and its defining Victorian associations.
They discuss Queen Mary II’s hands-on involvement in furnishing the palace, including her remarkable collection of East Asian porcelain; William Kent’s theatrical King’s Staircase and remarkable Cupola Room; Queen Caroline’s influence on Kensington Gardens and the Serpentine; and the difficult, closely supervised childhood of the young Queen Victoria under the so-called Kensington System.
The conversation also explores Queen Anne’s extraordinary relationship with Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough; the palace’s connections to the transatlantic trade in enslaved people; the private and public lives of Princess Margaret, Diana, Princess of Wales, and more recent royal residents; and the overwhelming outpouring of mourning outside the palace after Diana’s death in 1997.
Whether you are planning a visit, revisiting a favourite London landmark, or simply enjoy royal history with all its personal drama and political consequences, this episode offers a vivid introduction to Kensington Palace and the people who shaped it.
In this episode
- Why William III and Mary II bought Nottingham House in 1689.
- Why Kensington was then considered countryside — and why William’s asthma mattered.
- Sir Christopher Wren’s transformation of a private house into a royal palace.
- Queen Mary II as collector, designer and active patron of Kensington Palace.
- The palace’s blue-and-white porcelain, sourced through global trading networks.
- The bust of an enslaved man in the King’s State Apartments and the palace’s links to the transatlantic slave trade.
- George I, the Hanoverians and William Kent’s painted King’s Staircase.
- Peter the Wild Boy, Ulrich the page and the extraordinary characters depicted in Kent’s court scene.
- The Cupola Room, its trompe-l’œil ceiling, its acoustics and its Handel clock.
- Handel’s London career, Zadok the Priest and the Georgian court.
- Queen Caroline’s transformation of Kensington Gardens, including the Serpentine and Long Water.
- Queen Victoria and Queen Mary: two future queens born at Kensington Palace.
- Victoria’s constrained upbringing under the Kensington System.
- Sir John Conroy, the Duchess of Kent and the looming prospect of a regency.
- Victoria’s move to Buckingham Palace on becoming queen.
- Princess Margaret, Lord Snowdon and Kensington Palace’s celebrated society life.
- Diana, Princess of Wales, Kensington Palace and the extraordinary mourning of 1997.
- Queen Anne, Sarah Churchill, Abigail Masham and the drama behind The Favourite.
- Queen Anne’s tragic family life and the end of the Stuart dynasty.
- What to look out for when visiting Kensington Palace today.
People mentioned
- William III
- Mary II
- Daniel Finch, Earl of Nottingham
- Sir Christopher Wren
- Queen Anne
- Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
- John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough
- Abigail Masham
- George I
- George II
- Queen Caroline
- William Kent
- George Frideric Handel
- Peter the Wild Boy
- Ulrich, page to George I
- Princess Victoria / Queen Victoria
- Princess Mary of Teck / Queen Mary
- Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn
- Victoria, Duchess of Kent
- Sir John Conroy
- Baroness Louise Lehzen
- Lord Melbourne
- Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
- Antony Armstrong-Jones, Lord Snowdon
- Diana, Princess of Wales
- Charles, then Prince of Wales
- William, Prince of Wales
- Catherine, Princess of Wales
- Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
- Meghan, Duchess of Sussex
Places mentioned
- Kensington Palace
- Kensington Gardens
- Hyde Park
- The Serpentine
- The Long Water
- Queen Caroline’s Temple
- Buckingham Palace
- St James’s Palace
- Whitehall Palace
- Hampton Court Palace
- Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich
- Handel Hendrix House, Brook Street
- The Foundling Museum
- Queen Anne’s Gate, Westminster
- St Paul’s Cathedral
- Victoria Square, Belgravia
- Windsor Great Park
- Prince Edward Island, Canada
- Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
🎧Listen and explore
If you enjoy this episode, you may also like our earlier episodes on:
- Episode 27: The South Sea Bubble, with Ian McDiarmid
Explore the South Sea Company, speculation, finance and one of the most notorious economic bubbles in British history. - Episode 57: The Gerald Coke Handel Collection, with Katherine Hogg
Discover Handel’s London life and legacy through the extraordinary collection held at the Foundling Museum. - Episode 63: Hendrix and Handel in London, with John Donegan
A visit to Handel Hendrix House on Brook Street and a closer look at Handel’s life in Georgian London. - Episode 114: Buckingham Palace
Continue your journey through London’s royal residences with an exploration of the palace that became the principal royal home. - Episode 128: St James’s Palace
Discover the oldest surviving royal palace in London and its continuing ceremonial importance.
Visit Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace stands at the western edge of Kensington Gardens and remains a working royal residence as well as a public historic site. Its displays and routes can change, but visitors can typically explore the King’s State Apartments, the Queen’s State Apartments, rooms associated with Queen Victoria’s childhood, and temporary exhibitions.
Highlights discussed in this episode include:
- The King’s Staircase, painted by William Kent with life-size figures from George I’s court.
- The Cupola Room, with its theatrical painted ceiling, intimate scale and Handel clock.
- The rooms exploring Queen Victoria’s childhood and the Kensington System.
- Displays relating to Queen Mary II’s collections, including porcelain.
- The gardens and views around the Long Water and Serpentine.
- The statue of Queen Victoria outside the palace, created by Princess Louise.
- The surrounding landscape shaped by Queen Caroline.
Before visiting, check the official Kensington Palace website for opening times, ticketing, exhibitions, accessibility information and current events.
Listener question
If you could choose the next royal place for Hazel and Phil to explore, where would it be?
Would you like an episode on Hampton Court Palace, the Tower of London, Windsor Castle, Kew Palace, the Banqueting House, Greenwich, or another royal London location? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
