Victoria moved from Kensington Palace to Buckingham Palace almost immediately after becoming queen, but despite leaving her old home she remained fond of the place of her childhood.
She was delighted when her own daughter Louise, a talented sculptor, took up apartments in the palace in the 1870s. Louise's statue of her mother was unveiled on the east side of the palace in 1893. In her Diamond Jubilee year 1897 Queen Victoria made a visit to Kensington Town Hall on 28 June 1897 where she received a congratulatory address and schoolchildren sang the national anthem. Two years later in 1899, the State Apartments of Kensington Palace were opened to the public, a move strongly supported by the Queen who wanted people to be able to come and see the Palace where she grew up.
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Discover more about Queen Victoria in
Victoria Revealed, a new permanent exhibition which will explore the life and reign of one of the palace’s most famous residents in her own words.
