Before Princess Diana tragically died in 1997, she was living in apartments 8 and 9 at Kensington Palace. Her private sanctuary was where she was raising her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry – and rare pictures show exactly what it was like inside.
Photographs taken inside the walls of her private residence by butler and confidant, Paul Burrell, and published by The Sun and subsequently the Daily Mail, show the many rooms and reveal that they were filled with very sentimental items.
Having written about royal homes for the past five years, I've seen picture after picture inside royal homes, and although personal photographs are commonplace, they can sometimes appear sterile and not lived in. Diana's place was the opposite – and it even featured a collection of stuffed animals, some from her childhood and perhaps some that she had kept from members of the public.
One of the walls inside the apartment had a gallery wall of black and white photographs, featuring images of her two sons, whom she cherished. One particular image revealed Diana's writing desk, where she would spend hours penning letters. The personal space was covered with trinkets from her travels and special photographs, again of her beloved boys.
The interiors had regal elements like antiques and chandeliers, but overall, it was quite modest with cosy-looking furniture and lots of mementoes. Whilst her dining table was a humble circular addition, a far cry from the vast banquet tables we see in other royal residences.
William's Kensington home
William has retained a base at the iconic palace, with him and his wife having Apartment 1A for when they are in London on business. Despite being called an apartment, the 20-room, four-storey property is rather large and impressive and has been a home for them and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, since 2017.
After King Charles' coronation in 2023, the palace shared a video clip of the day, following the family as they enjoyed the fanfare. The scenes started out inside their apartment, giving fans a very rare glimpse of what it's like.
Of course, members of the public can go to the palace for tours, but certain parts are blocked off to act as private residences for royal family members. There is even a clever way they get privacy when out in their own garden…
TikTok user @allthatspretty pointed out the genius privacy measure when she was on a tour of Kensington Palace and noticed partially frosted windows to conceal the view into the Prince and Princess of Wales' private garden.
"I'm at the Kensington Palace tour! Look at the secret windows they have that make sure you can't see into Kate and Wills' private garden to the right! They have it on all the windows in this room," she wrote.