Visit Kew Palace from 6 April and you’ll uncover more about King George III, Queen Charlotte and their family when you delve through the woodland at Kew Gardens to discover Queen Charlotte’s Cottage.
Queen Charlotte’s Cottage, built in 1770, was used as a summer house by the family of King George and his wife when they resided at nearby Kew Palace. This Easter Historic Royal Palaces will open the cottage for an extended summer season so that visitors can enjoy this hidden gem every weekend from April to September 2007 (Fridays to Sundays plus bank holiday Mondays).
Queen Charlotte’s Cottage was a unique extension of the family home – a retreat for impromptu breakfasts and tea parties, and even for the celebration of royal weddings, including that of Edward, Duke of Kent, father of Queen Victoria. More unusually, adjacent to the cottage was ‘Farmer George’s’ menagerie, which housed a number of exotic animals, including peacocks and kangaroos! Remnants of the Georgian period remain including traces of early wallpaper, Hogarth prints, Chinese style chairs and bamboo furniture, plus a painted wall decoration completed by King George III’s own daughter, Princess Elizabeth.
Kew Palace, the countryside retreat of King George III and his family, reopened its doors to the public on 24 March. A visit to Queen Charlotte’s Cottage adds another layer to the story inside the palace, where visitors can also see a unique ‘Kew’ tea service thought to have been used for tea parties at the cottage, as well as the chair in which the Queen Charlotte eventually died. Together, visitors will get a real insight in to life for this intimate royal family in this petite royal palace.
