Kensington Palace, the home of the late Princess Diana , reopens after a $19 million makeover, just in time for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the Olympics in London this summer. First the queen inspected it. Then the press previewed it. Next week ordinary tourists get to swarm through it. Like other royal palaces, Kensington, built in the 17th century, is both a museum open to the public and a home for royals, including Diana's son Prince William and his wife, Duchess Kate of Cambridge.
The museum's senior curator, Joanna Marschner, told reporters the renovation will present both the "big, glorious, golden rooms" that people expect, and a trove of more personal, revealing items, from Queen Victoria's wedding dress and baby shoes (she grew up there) to Diana's little black dress (she lived there for 16 years after marrying Prince Charles in 1981). When Diana died in a Paris car crash in 1997, hundreds of thousands of mourners left a carpet of flowers outside the palace gates. Many visitors are expected to make a beeline for an exhibit of Diana's dresses, alongside sketches of the garments and photographs. Upstairs is an exhibit devoted to Victoria, the current queen's great-great grandmother and the only other British monarch to reach 60 years on the throne. The exhibit includes the room where she was born and the room where in 1837 she was informed, at age 18, that her uncle the king had died and consequently she was queen Kensington was home to six British monarchs, including King William III and Queen Mary II, the husband-and-wife monarchs who hired architect Christopher Wren to transform the modest house into a palace. Their grand state apartments, adorned with Old Masters and gilded statues, also have been renovated. Visitors will notice the palace entrance is easier to find and much more welcoming. And they will likely want to see the lovely ornamental garden surrounded by manicured lawns that welcome walkers. No "keep off the grass" signs here. The palace reopens to the public on March 26. If you want to find more information click on palace .
Coincidiendo con la celebración de los Juegos Olímpicos, Londres ofrece otro atractivo turístico: la reapertura del palacio de Kensington, última residencia de la difunta princesa Diana. Este palacio ha sido el hogar de seis monarcas británicos, incluídos el príncipe Guillermo y Kate, pero también es un museo abierto al público en el que se pueden visitar fotografías y objetos personales tanto de la reina Victoria como de la propia Diana.
