On the second day of our holidays in England, we visited London. OK, it was a bit out of our way, but we had a good reason… read on to find out!

The reason for our visit to London had everything to do with our kids… All three of them are very different, but they share one passion: Harry Potter!

On the first day of our trip to England they had visited the Leavesden Studios (whilst my husband and I visited St-Albans) and for the second day of our holidays, we had given them tickets to see part I and II of Harry Potter & the Cursed Child (as a New Year’s gift).

Even though it was quite a long drive from our holiday home (1,5 hour by car and nearly 1 hour on the tube), we wanted to give them that experience. And did they enjoy it… so much I can tell you!

As they would spend most of the afternoon and evening at the Palace Theatre, my husband and I had some quality time together in London. We did an afternoon tea (of which you could already read this post), but we had started off our day in England’s capital with a visit to Kensington Palace.

We like touring castles, palaces and estates, and since my husband isn’t quite a fan of the hustle and bustle of big cities, I suggested a visit to Kensington Palace. I had booked the tickets online and so should you if you intend to visit this Royal Palace. You save money and time!

Kensington Palace was built as a royal house for William III and Mary II at the end of the 17th century. During the reign of King George I alterations were done. In 1819 Princess Victoria was born here and spent her childhood at the palace. The day she was told of he accession, she held her first council at the palace, in the Red Saloon.

A major restauration took place in 1898 and it was home to the London Museum for some time.

A lot of royals have lived at the private apartments of Kensington Palace, including Princess Margaret, Princess Diana, William and Harry and many others.

After our tour at the State Apartments in the Palace, we visited the exposition ‘Victoria Revealed’, a discrete and intimate glimpse into the life of one of Britain’s most important monarchs. The exposition shows Queen Victoria as a devoted wife, dedicated mother, lover of the arts, devastated widow and powerful stateswoman, with a reign spanning 63 years and Prince Albert, the love of Victoria’s life.

Newly added to this exposition are some tiaras and jewellery Queen Victoria was given… impressive… seriously impressive!

Then we went onto the next exposition in the Palace: ‘Diana, her fashion story’.

Princess Diana has lived years at Kensington Palace. Her fashion sense became more glamourous and elegant and in this exposition you clearly see the evolution. Many outfits are so well-known. She truly was a style-icon!

In the shop, I couldn’t resist buying some earrings, which are inspired by the famous engagement ring from Kate Middleton and Lady Diana and after a quick lunch, we explored the Palace Garden, including the beautiful Sunken Garden which was planted in 1908… a garden you might now from the first engagement interview from Harry and Meghan!

It was a scorching hot day in London, so we were glad to walk underneath the hedges!

This visit left an impression on me: the grandeur of the State Apartments, the intimacy of ‘Victoria Revealed’, the glamour of ‘Diana, her fashion story’, the carefully planted palace gardens… I can definitely recommend a visit!

Love, Kathleen

PS: more information on visiting Kensington Palace on the website