London royal Palaces
Here is the list of best royal palaces located in or near London. Must see palaces in London: Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court Palace.
Buckingham Palace
One of the most known and most visited royal places in Great Britain. A royal residence of Her Majesty the Queen. It is a must see place if you visit London, lofted in the heart of this beautiful city.
Buckingham palace is the most visited palace in UK with millions of people coming to see this royal residence each year.
Postcode: SW1A 1AA
Website: https://www.royal.uk/royal-residences-buckingham-palace
Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace was once a little suburban villa. It was transformed into a palace by King William III and Queen Mary II in 1689. Kensington was away from busy and polluted streets of London. At the same time not too far from the Parliament. The Palace was used for grandiose balls (until 1694 when Queen Mary died). Several other monarchs lived in Kensington. At some point it lost its appeal and was not used as a residence for monarchs, but rather by other family members. This is the place where Queen Victoria spent her childhood.
Postcode: W8 4PX
Website: https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace
Hampton Court Palace
Historic royal palace. Built between 1515 and 1530 for Cardinal Wolsey. Favourite residence of Henry VIII. Often referred to as home of Henry VIII. It was one of the favourite royal houses because of the clean country air.
The scale of the building is colossal. In addition, Hampton Court has incredible interiors fit for the king. The palace was used as a filming location for some scenes for The Favourite (Cartoon Gallery, Henry VIII Kitchen, Fountain Court).
Postcode: KT8 9AU
Website: https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace
Eltham Palace
Eltham place was used as a royal residence between 14th and 16 centuries. At the time it was one the largest royal residences in the country. Henry VIII spent some of his childhood in this palace. But he preferred Hampton Court. Henry VIII was the last King to spend much time at Eltham Palace. As a result the palace was poorly managed.
In 1651 it was sold to Colonel Nathaniel Rich, who tore down many buildings. Later the palace was used as a barn and a farm house. In 1933 a family of millionaires (Stephen and Virginia Courtauld) took a 99-year lease of the palace. They built a modern 20-century house incorporating the great hall in the architecture. They left the palace during the second World War, as it was occasionally bombed. The palace is now managed by the English Heritage.
Postcode: SE9 5QE
Website: Eltham Palace/English Heritage
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