Kensington Palace was built in 1605, and purchased by William and Mary in the summer of 1689 for a sum of £20,000. Owned by the Earl of Nottingham, and named 'Nottingham House', the royal couple bought it to provide a healthier residence. The king was asthmatic, and the cleaner air in the village of Kensington was much more conducive to his health than the damper atmosphere surrounding Whitehall Palace.

Sir Christopher Wren was commissioned to improve the house, and added pavilions to each corner of the existing building. These new pavilions contained the King and Queen’s apartments, the Council Chamber, the Great Stairs and the Chapel Royal. When Wren re-orientated the house by adding a new entrance on the western elevation, he also built northern and southern wings to the approach, with an archway surmounted by a clock tower on the western side, creating an outer courtyard. The last building work attributed to William was the south front in 1695. Initially intended as a private domestic retreat, it was formerly referred to as Kensington House, rather than 'Palace'. On 28^th December 1694 Queen Mary died quite suddenly from smallpox whilst at the house, and King William passed away there only eight years later following a riding fall at Hampton Court.

During the reign of Queen Anne very little changed at the house, but the grounds underwent a considerable transformation. Both Queen Anne and the Prince Consort died at the house in 1714 and 1708 respectively, just like William and Mary before them.

The accession of George I saw the remains of Nottingham House disappear completely. Remodelled by William Benson between 1718 and 1722, the new building provided three staterooms, a Privy Chamber, Cupola Room and Withdrawing Room. The striking and elaborate ceilings were the work of William Kent, an architect much admired by the King.

In the time of George II Kensington Palace enjoyed it’s heyday, becoming the royal household’s principal residence where the court would spend up to six months at a time. Little appears to have been altered structurally, with the exception of a new stable block in 1740, but fine new furniture and stylish fixtures were introduced inside the palace. Following the death of Queen Caroline in 1737, the King remained in residence but ordered large areas of the palace to be locked up, causing inevitable decay through neglect. The sudden death of the King in 1760 marked the end of an era for the palace. When George III came to the throne he favoured Buckingham House, the forerunner to Buckingham Palace, as his main residence.

Kensington Palace did continue to be a home to other members of the royal court, and it eventually became the home of the Duke and Duchess of Kent. Their daughter, Victoria, was born at the Palace, and continued to live there with her mother after the death of the Duke. In 1832 Sir Jeffery Wyatville was commissioned to extend their apartments, much to King William IV's displeasure, and it was in these newly furbished apartments that the teenage Princess Victoria learnt of her accession to the throne. She then moved at once to Buckingham Palace.

The main state apartments at Kensington subsequently fell into a state of dilapidation. Faced with the threat of demolition, the palace was saved by Queen Victoria's intervention. She persuaded parliament to agree to the cost of restoration on the basis that the State apartments could be opened up for public viewing, and they were officially opened on the Queen's 80^th Birthday, on 24^th May 1899.