Itching, or simply curious, to get a bird's eye view of how the Royals live their everyday lives? Well, luckily for you, Kensington Palace -  home to many a Royal throughout the last two centuries - is open to the public following a two year, £12 million facelift, with the aim of allowing you to imagine what it was like when some of England's most famous royal figures lived there.

Modern installations are used to present old artefacts, with a bit of added spice. The walls will whisper secrets to you whilst courtiers come over for a chat, and don't forget to look up, because you never know what might be hanging from the ceiling. Welcomed by the (literally) dazzling 'luminous lace' instalment (a light sculpture made of over 2 miles of wire and apparently replicating a royal lace pattern), the four main displays are Victoria Revealed, King's Apartments, Queen's Apartments and Fasion Rules.

Kensington Palace has a glorious setting away from the noise and the bustle of the city and is the official residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. It is also used unofficially by Prince Harry and his cousin Zara Phillips. It was the official residence of Diana, Princess of Wales (from 1981 until her death in 1997), Princess Margaret (from 1960 until her death in 2002) and Princess Alice (from 1994 until her death in 2004). It was also where the late Diana, Princess of Wales's coffin spent its last night in London, before the Princess's funeral at Westminster Abbey on 6 September 1997.

The Palace was built in the village of Kensington in the early 17th century, as Nottingham House, for the Earl of Nottingham. However it was bought from his heir by William II in 1689, who had asthma and wanted to live away from polluted central London. A road was built from the Palace to Hyde Park Corner, "Rotten Row", which still exists today. The Palace was extended and improved by Sir Christopher Wren, who reoriented the house to face west. As a domestic retreat it was called Kensington House, and the kitchen gardens supplied fruits and vegetables for the Court of St. James.

"Victoria Revealed" follows in the footsteps of Britain's longest reigning monarch; from her childhood, when she lived at Kensington Palace, to her first meeting as Queen in the Red Saloon, her marriage and finally to her well-known mourning period. "Queen's Apartments" pries into the lives of Queen Mary 2nd (1665-1714) and Queen Anne (1662-1694) through the eyes of William - Anne's son and only surviving child and heir - who danced himself to death on his 11th birthday.

"King's Apartments", which are accessed via the beautiful trompe l'oeil King's Staircase, is an eye-opener on the lives of George 1st and 2nd, and if you want to get really involved, you can play the House of Cards game, an interactive theatre-game masterminded by theatre company Coney, where you have to collect hidden cards to get an audience with the king.

Finally, in “Fasion Rules" you can gape at the attires of stylish royals, including Elizabeth II, Princes Margaret and Princess Diana. The exhibitions includes 18 haute couture dresses by Norman Hartnell, Hardy Amies and Zandra Rhodes.

If it's sunny don't forget to pop outside; visit the Sunken Gardens, modelled on those at Hampton Court Palace, or grab a cuppa in Anne's Orangery, where kids are welcomed by their very own version of afternoon tea. And don't forget to keep your eyes peeled for any real-life royalty! 

Kensington Palace

Kensington Gardens, London W8 4PX, UK

Opening times

Open daily 10.00-18.00. Last admissions at 17.00. Closed 24-26 December and 26-30 January.