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The Royal Residences

Kensington Palace is a royal palace in London. Originally a private  country
house, the building was acquired by William III and Mary II in 1689 and  was
adopted for royal residence by Sir Christopher Wren. Kensington House as  it
was known became William and Mary’s principal residence.  For  the  next  70
years the palace was at the  center  of  the  life  and  government  of  the
kingdom and played host to the courts  of  William  and  Mary,  Queen  Anne,
George I and George II.
In the XIX century Kensington  was  the  birthplace  and  home  of  Princess
Victoria (later Queen Victoria). By the  end  of  19th  century,  the  State
Apartments at Kensington Palace were in a very bad state  of  repair  having
been used as stores for paintings and furnishings  from  other  palaces.  In
April 1897 a decision was made to restore the palace and  Parliament  agreed
to fund the work on the condition that the building should be opened  up  to
the public. Parts of the palace remains a private residence for  members  of
the  royal  family,  the  State  Apartments  and  Royal   Ceremonial   Dress
Collection are open to the public.
Buckingham Palace is the London home of the Queen  and  Prince  Philip.  The
Palace is also the administrative headquarters of the  monarchy.  The  Queen
receives visiting heads of state at the palace  and  it  is  here  that  the
Queen holds garden parties and bestowed knighthoods and other honours.  Foot
Guards from the Household Division  in  their  distinctive  red  tunics  and
black bearskins, can be seen on guard duty outside  the  palace  daily.  The
Changing the Guard ceremony now takes place only  every  other  day  in  the
winter but it is still daily in the summer  months.  After  a  serious  fire
damaged Winsdor Castle in 1993 the Queen allowed the Palace State  rooms  to
be opened to the public for the first time, to help pay the  Winsdor  Castle
repair bill.

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