Apartment Clock Court 1A Kensington Palace.
In the current Vanity Fair it says that Kensington Palace is a likely candidate for Prince William's and Catherine's future home. It says that Diana's apartment, where William and Harry grew up, is going under a 12 million pounds refurbishment. It also says that Catherine took a look at Princess Margaret's apartment, and loved it!
Here is what I know about apartment 1A.
Apartment 1A in Kensington Palace was originally apartment 1, and was the largest of all the apartment's in KP. From 1875-1939 it was the home of Queen Victoria's daughter Princess Louise and her husband the marquess of Lorne, later the Duke of Argyle. After Princess Louise's death in 1939 at the age of 91, the apartment was occupied by Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent. Princess Marina found the apartment far too vast, so in the 1950's the ministry of works split the apartment in two, Marina taking the smaller portion. The other half, 1A stayed vacant until Princess Margaret and her husband Anthony Armstrong Jones came along.
The apartment needed to be completly gutted, there was extensive damage due to dry rot etc. Again the ministry of works were called in to do the job. The apartment was remodeled in the regency style with the designs by the couple's friends, set decorators I believe.
The apartment has 21-35 rooms, depending on the source. I've heard both.
The main rooms include a large and spacious hall that goes along the whole front of the apartment. The main drawing room. A vast room featuring five bays (floor to celing windows). One of the windows opened onto a court which in Princess Louise's day was an art studio. Princess Louise was a prominent sculptress, and her bust of Queen Victoria is still in KP. After the drawing room was a small room, followed by the broad oak main staircase.
After the staircase there are several steps down and there is a lovely garden room. Apparently it's lovely, I've never been there. The garden room has three windows looking out onto the gardens. One of the windows has a door, which in princess Louise's day was bricked over, apparently the door was used by the Duke to meet his lovers!!!
. The garden room had in Margaret's day a lage collection of sea shells which was supposed to be one of the best collections in Britain.
As I understand the layout of the main rooms, the drawing room sits between the dining room and library.
Apartment 1A is also the only apartment in KP that has it's own private garden. Princess Margaret use to sunbathe in it.
I have before and after pictures of apartment 1A, but my scanner is messed up, and when I scan/post the pictures end up upside down.
I to would have loved to see the Princess of Wales apartments opened rather than PM (I can't say I really liked her and from a tourisim perspective Diana's aparatments would have brought in much more money). There are probably some crazy Diana fans who would probably turn the apartments into a shrine which is something most people like myself do not want. But who knows what the future will hold its possible that the Princess's apartments could be restored and opened or Harry might move back there, its really up in the air imo.
