Get the inside story on the royals as palace reopens

 
Makeover: Kensington Palace staff in their new uniforms
Simon Freeman12 March 2012

Visitors have been promised a unique glimpse into history when Kensington Palace, home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, reopens to the public this month after a £12 million revamp.

Historic Royal Palaces expects 100,000 people a year to tour routes which shine a light on the private lives of four centuries of the monarchy, from the Glorious Revolution of 1688 to the death of Princess Diana.

TV historian Dr Lucy Worsley, chief curator, said: “It won’t be all sweetness and light. There are dark stories here, including the tragic death of the 32-year-old Mary II from smallpox in 1694, an event marked by an outpouring of grief to rival that following Princess Diana’s death in 1997.” The palace reopens on March 26, and newly uncovered exhibits include a “sexy” portrait of Queen Victoria commissioned for Prince Albert’s private viewing, royal wedding dresses through the ages and a painting of “Peter the Wild Boy”, a feral child brought to court as a human pet.

Dr Worsley added: “The work has thrown up the occasional surprise. Behind one pillar we found a pencilled message from 1902 recording a workman’s view that his foreman was a “champion f***er”.

Front-of-house staff have new Jaeger uniforms of red blazers and black trousers or skirts.

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