Enchanted Exhibit at Kensington Palace

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK

My friend, Ashley, surprised me with tickets to Kensington Palace's current exhibition, 'The Enchanted Palace'.  Thank you, Ash!

Exhibit: The Enchanted Palace

It was a treat to go into this famous palace in London, home to many including Queen Victoria and Princess Diana.

As you may know, many royal weddings united countries through arranged marriages to strategically strengthen their European foothold.

Can you imagine marrying someone whom you've never met and doesn't even speak your language? As a result, many of the ruling families were loveless and quite dysfunctional, which makes for wonderful literature - doesn't it?

Kensington Palace

While most of the palace is closed due to construction, the State Apartments have been transformed for this temporary exhibition. The rooms looked, well, royal - tall ceilings, flocked dark wallpaper, heavy curtains, and beautiful wooden floors.

I had to hand it to them - it was a creative blend of classical masterpieces and modern art installations in a traditional palace setting.

Queen Victoria's childhood bedroom

The King's Gallery

The Gallery of War and Play featured thousands of plastic GI Joe-like soldier figures on the floor, while in the the ballroom a Victorian silhouette danced on the ceiling to a Duran Duran song. Traditional meets contemporary.

You may want to drop by this quirky exhibit which runs until February 28th, 2011. Click here for details

Afterward, you can stop by The Orangery for tea and scones - yum!

All images from Historic Royal Palaces website

XO Laura