Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Kensington Palace apartment is ‘enormous’

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Kensington Palace apartment is ‘enormous’ with ’20 rooms from the basement to the attic’, royal experts have claimed.

Prince William, 39, and Kate, 38, live with their children Prince George, seven, Prince Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two, in the private home – number 1A – when staying in London.

But royal commentators have urged fans not to be fooled into believing the property is a small abode because of its apartment title.

Speaking on True Royalty’s Royal Beat, British royal author Christopher Warwick said: ‘It has 20 rooms from the basement to the attic, it is not a small house.

Prince William, 39, and Kate (pictured in 2016, when the couple hosted US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle at their home), 38, live with their children Prince George, seven, Prince Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two, in the private home – number 1A – when staying in London

But royal commentators have urged fans not to be fooled into believing the property is a small abode because of its apartment title. Pictured, Prince William sits with Peter Crouch, Tom Fordyce and Chris Stark for a podcast recording in March at his home

Prince William sits in his Kensington Palace study. The image was shared ahead of the UK’s lockdown at the end of March

‘All of these royal residences at Kensington Palace are called apartments, which of course makes people immediately think they are flats like the American term for an apartment.

‘They are not. If you think of Kensington Place in a way it is built around three courtyards. If you kind of think of them as being these wonderful red brick terrace houses. Because they are all joined, but separate houses,’ he added.

Royal author Ingrid Seward said: ‘It’s enormous… and it’s like a piece of countryside in London.’

Royal fans were treated to a glimpse of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s London home in 2016, when they entertained US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle in their drawing room.

The property was refurbished with £4.5million of taxpayers’ money – although the couple footed the bill for fixtures and furnishing themselves.

A general view of the State Apartments of Kensington Palace and Apartment 1A in 2013, when  refurbishment works were being carried out

Royal fans were treated to a glimpse of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s London home in 2016, when they entertained US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle (pictured with Kate) in their drawing room

Kate had the help of an interior designer, but the look didn’t appear to be particularly grand and far from palatial, more comfortable country home.

The cream sofas were littered with floral cushions, while a large hexagonal footstool was added to the middle of their drawing room.

In the corner was a baby grand piano covered with family photographs and flowers, indicating it was more decorative than anything else. 

The side tables were also filled with pictures including a young Prince William with a shock of blonde hair. The couple even had a drinks tray in the corner of the drawing room – which contained bottles of £12 Smirnoff vodka and £14 Gordon’s gin. 

Apartment 1A is a spacious four-storey property with its own large south-facing walled garden. It takes up half the Clock Tower wing designed by Sir Christopher Wren for King William and Queen Mary.

Speaking on True Royalty’s Royal Beat, British royal author Christopher Warwick (pictured) said: ‘It has 20 rooms from the basement to the attic, it is not a small house

Royal author Ingrid Seward (pictured) added on the programme: ‘It’s enormous… and it’s like a piece of countryside in London.’

From Prince William and Kate to The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester: The Royals who live at Kensington Palace

London’s Kensington Palace currently houses more than 10 members of the royal family and has been a royal residence since the 1600s. 

The Kensington Palace grounds include a range of separate properties, from humble cottages to Apartment 1A occupied by Prince William and his family.

London’s Kensington Palace currently houses more than 10 members of the royal family (pictured above) and has been a royal residence since the 1600s

Apartment 1A: Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis

The family of five arguably have the best apartment in Kensington Palace with 20 rooms and a view of Hyde Park.

William and Kate moved to the palace in October 2013 after George was born, but the public rarely get the opportunity to see inside.

However, photographs were taken when the couple hosted Barack and Michelle Obama in 2016 and we saw Prince George his dressing gown meet the former US President.

Ivy Cottage: Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank

One of Kensington Palace’s newest arrivals is Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank. 

They moved into their new home Ivy Cottage on the same day that the Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to Prince Louis in 2018.

The Old Stables: The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester 

The Duke, a first cousin of the Queen, and his wife live in the Old Stables, an historic cottage in the grounds of the palace.

The Gloucesters moved into the cottage last year after vacating their previous home at Apartment 1, where they were neighbours with the Cambridges. 

Apartment 10: Prince and Princess Michael of Kent

Prince Michael of Kent, another cousin of The Queen, also lives in the main palace building with his wife, referred to with the traditional name Princess Michael, in Apartment 10.

Apartment 10 has five bedrooms and five reception rooms with one room once being available for rent at a reported £10,000 per month.

Wren House: The Duke and Duchess of Kent

Prince Michael’s older brother, The Duke of Kent resides with his wife in the grounds of Kensington Palace at Wren House, named after the architect Christopher Wren.

Although details have never been revealed about this home, it is about the same size as Nottingham and Ivy Cottages.

The living space has previously included five reception rooms, three main bedrooms, dressing rooms and bathrooms, a night and day nursery and nine staff bedrooms. 

On the first floor are the master bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, and his-and-hers dressing rooms.

On the top floor, reached by a lift, are the bedrooms for staff, while a basement area where the photographer Earl of Snowdon once had his darkroom is now a well-appointed gym with laundry and luggage rooms nearby.

The kitchen, on which the couple spent £170,000 of their own money, is the heart of this royal home, and where they like to entertain close friends and family.

For more formal occasions guests, who arrive through a bright and airy entrance hall with intricate cornicing and black and white flagstones, are shown to one of the two drawing rooms.

Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon, who moved in following a £1.5million programme of refurbishment in 1963, famously installed a ‘futuristic’ kitchen complete with sleek Formica and teak units. It has since been ripped out.

Prior to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge moving in, the property had been managed by the charity Historic Royal Palaces (HRP), which used it as office and exhibition space.

As HRP has already spent a substantial amount of its own money on remedial work, the Queen was forced to compensate it for handing the building over to William and Kate.