When she married Prince Charles in 1981, Princess Diana officially moved into Apartment 8 and 9 at Kensington Palace (not far from Princess Eugenie’s own Kensington Palace home), having grown up on in Park House, situated on the Sandringham estate.
The Spencers had rented the house from its owner, Queen Elizabeth II, and Diana often played with the Queen’s sons Prince Andrew and Prince Edward when they holidayed there.
Princess Diana welcomed her two sons at Kensington Palace (William in 1982 and Harry in 1984), and loved the apartment so much that she even carried on living there after her divorce to Prince Charles in 1996 was made official, until her untimely death in 1997.
In fact, it is the backdrop to many official pictures, especially those taken with her sons, including one of them all sitting at the piano, and one of her and Charles posing with a baby William on their living room sofa.
As Kate Middleton and Prince William have no doubt done, the royal wanted to put her own stamp on her living space when she moved in, and you can see her personality shine through.
She hired designer Dudley Poplak to help her put redesign the apartments, though really they were really three floors’ worth of rooms. She wanted to honour the building’s history while adding a modern touch.
The Princess’ loved love for bold patterns and lush fabrics (see her iconic dresses) extended to her home, with a mix of printed wallpaper, cushions and carpets, as well as plush velvet sofas.
The drawing room, which also doubled up as Diana’s office, was cosy thanks to a pink sofa adorned with cushions, and bright, with pale blue floral wallpaper and blue curtains. She had a desk by the window and bookshelves full of her favourite reads.
Peppered throughout the house, but in the living room in particular, were pictures of her family.
In the drawing room, it was far more muted, as Prince Charles and Diana often held official meetings there. The walls were a pale yellow, historical art hung on the walls, and a mix of modern and antique furniture hit the right balance that Diana was after.
There again, a huge patterned rug covered the floor, and there was also a big marble fireplace which served as the backdrop for some pictures. You could see Diana’s fun personality from the quirky bird ornaments on the fireplace too.
In another part of the room, there was a big piano with plenty of pictures of the royal family, included the Queen Mum, on it.
The nursery apparently covered the top floor of the house, and Diana hired a specialised children’s interior decorator for it. It was fun and colourful, which she was sure the boys would love.
One room in particular had a carpet emblazoned with strawberries, and this is where Prince Harry and Prince William would play on their rocking horses.
In that same room, Princess Diana would sit with them at a light wooden table to play games, and it looks like this is where they had some of their meals too.
Other pictures seem to show the official dining room, though it looks like the royal couple used it for meetings too. The setting is much more formal, with ornate curtains, oil paintings and gilded furniture featuring prominently.
Even though there are definitely some 80s trends in the decor, it’s clear that Princess Diana had impeccable taste and created a cosy and inviting home.
The post See inside Princess Diana's private home at Kensington Palace appeared first on Marie Claire.
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