Written by Annette Kellow
There is something rather special when entering Kensington Palace. The high ceilings, the quiet ambience and the spacious rooms make you feel that you are part of royal atmosphere that has reigned over Kensington Gardens since 1605.
Over the years there have been many notable palace residents (indeed it is currently home to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) but one resident which is particularly well-know is the star of new hit ITV show Queen Victoria herself, who was born at the palace in 1819.
I was visiting for the exciting release of the series 2 DVD, created and written by Daisy Goodwin who was there to give a talk alongside Deirdre Murphy, Senior Curator at the palace. Deirdre, an expert in Victorian fashion, gave us a wonderful insight to how Queen Victoria studied, loved and enjoyed fashion throughout her life. She showed us memorable dresses she wore on prestigious occasions and how with the boom of the press, this propelled her into centre stage.
Ever elegant she was a 19th century heroine of our times and knew exactly how the style of her clothes portrayed a specific image.
In the series she is played by Jenna Coleman alongside an all-star cast including Tom Hughes, Rufus Sewell and Diana Rigg. We see a transformation from her teenage self to respected monarch. After the talk we then listened to a detailed Q and A with Daisy Goodwin. An expert in history after studying at Cambridge she is now a writer and television producer, recently penning a book to accompany the series, aptly named Victoria.
I was interested to hear her tales of how Victoria kept a detailed diary of events, her husband Prince Albert, her fashions and her life with her children in the palace. It was even more special as the talk was given in Victorias very own bedroom! Daisy told us about how she penned the timeline history and meticulous attention to details that went into set designs and costume recreations. It sounded like they had a very strong team on board- no wonder the series was nominated for Baftas, Emmy’s and picked up the prestigious Professional Excellance award at the Royal Television Society.
After viewing some of Victorias gowns we were escorted to The Orangery which is a beautiful tea house overlooking vast gardens of the palace. It was teatime! My favourite time! We enjoyed a Royal afternoon tea of scrumptious sandwiches, cakes, scones and tea- all set in beautiful tiers and fine bone china, just as the royals would have been served. Originally built for Queen Anne in 1704 it is now a garden pavilion open to the public for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea.
What an afternoon! What history! And after leaving satisfied with the sweet treats that had been served and walking back through the palace I really did feel like I had been treated like a Queen (if only for a day!)
Victoria Series 2 is out on DVD on 13 November.