Diana Frances Spencer, better known as the Princess of Wales, famous in equal parts for her philanthropy, the controversies surrounding her life, and the tragic end she met at the hands of an automobile accident. As a member of the royal family, where did she usually spend her days living such a rarefied life?
Princess Diana lived in her apartment at Kensington Palace. She made the apartment her home following her marriage to Prince Charles, remaining there until the day that her life was unexpectedly cut short.
A traditional and historical landmark, the beautiful home of Kensington Palace has housed generations of royals, going as far back as the 17th century. There are multiple large apartments in the building, which are all provided as private quarters for the various members of the royal family.
Even though this is where she spent most of her time, she did also have multiple other homes while she was married to Charles.
Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace is as old as it is elegant, having stood the test of time thanks to the maintenance and renovations provided by various organizations throughout the years. Time almost wasn’t too kind to it, however, as centuries prior to there being any proper care for the building, it was found in a dilapidated state.
Long before it ever housed Diana’s apartment, Kensington Palace was in critical condition, desperately in need of the talents of skilled workers to restore it to its former glory. As it had been home to many other royals before Diana, so it had been the birthplace of Queen Victoria, who was not willing to let it be a victim of neglect.
So, she enacted a restoration project which she implored the government to pay for and complete, a task they did willingly. It was a gesture which benefitted not just the royal family, but all those who have any interest in the history of the British monarchy, as much of the building has since been made available for tourists to view.
Diana’s Apartment
All throughout Kensington Palace, there are special apartments that are reserved for members of the royal family to use. One of those is Apartment 8, which has seen much use since Diana’s death.
7 August 1997
The police officer is taken a little aback but on seeing it is Diana, Princess of Wales, resident of apartments 8&9 at Kensington Palace, the barrier is brought up and Diana is delivered safely home by Trevor Reed-Jones.
Diana at KP with William and Harry c.1986 pic.twitter.com/QQhHfGNNcf
— Diana Day by Day (@DianaDaybyDay) August 7, 2018It would become occupied by her two sons for use as offices, likely a comforting place to be, given the amount of time they spent there as children. It was here that they were raised, nestled deep within the palace walls and raised by Diana.
Apartment 8 was essentially Diana’s bastion of solitude, a place that she could completely call her own and a reprieve from the daily struggles associated with being such a prominent public figure. In the rare pictures of the inside of the apartment, we can see that Diana had poured herself into the decoration, filling it wall to wall with all of the things that were most important to her in life.
Nowhere is that more true than the dressing room, where Diana’s worship of her true most valuable things in life can be seen, her two sons William and Harry. The walls were lined with photographs, all showing some variant of a mixture of the three of them, as well as individual shots.
Now, what once appeared to be a warm and inviting family home has been completely transformed, with Diana’s touch on the apartment lost to time and change after 16 years of her life was spent there.
One example of the personal effects one may have seen if they had visited the bedroom in her home was her stuffed toy collection, a hundreds-strong gathering of toys gifted to her by admirers.
Other Homes
While she was married to Charles, the two did in fact have another residence at Highgrove House, his family home. Despite the fact she never really lived there together with him, preferring to reside at the Kensington Palace apartment, Highgrove still bears her mark to this day.
Although the interior has been redecorated, almost immediately following the divorce, the place where you can still see some memories of her is the garden. Deep within a maze of green, sits a sundial, gifted to Diana and Charles as a wedding present.
Despite everything transforming over time, there are at least still memories of Diana’s presence in her two homes, no matter how subtle they may be.
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