The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
A Royal visit to the capital
Rachel Howard celebrates what would have been Queen Victoria’s 200th birthday
As I take an early morning walk through a serene Hyde Park, it dawns on me just how much of London I have yet to explore. Being a northern girl, I’ve spent plenty of fun-filled weekends in the capital, but, believe it or not, this is the first time I’ve walked through Hyde Park, and I am about to embark on my first visit to Kensington Palace.
A couple of hours earlier I’d woken up from a wonderful night’s sleep in my luxuriously appointed junior suite at Kensington’s Baglioni Hotel, perfectly situated on the edge of Hyde Park with a beautiful view of Kensington Palace and beyond.
Not only is this hotel in the ideal location for exploring many of London’s main tourist attractions, it is also large enough to offer every guest amenity you could possibly wish for (includThe
ing an idyllic spa), but is still small enough to feel like a home from home.
In a stroke of luck, my arrival at the Baglioni the night before coincided with the launch of their new range of aperitivo cocktails, created in conjunction with Cocchi. The feast for the senses continued in the hotel restaurant where I enjoyed three courses of the finest Italian food, washed down with matching wines. Pumpkin flan, turbot with potatoes, olives and basil sauce, followed by tiramisu, transported me from a cold winter’s night in London to a warm summer’s evening on the Amalfi coast.
purpose of my visit is to preview the two new exhibits set to open on May 24 - the 200th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s birth. With Kensington Palace being Victoria’s place of birth, it seems an apt location to house these two new exhibits that consider not only her public persona, but also her private life - as a woman, daughter, wife, widow and mother.
Victoria: A Royal Childhood is a new permanent exhibition dedicated to the years Victoria spent at Kensington. In a re-presentation of the rooms occupied by a young Victoria and her mother, the Duchess of Kent, the exhibition follows her life from the day she was born through to the day she discovered she was Queen, and subsequently moved to Buckingham Palace.
Featuring many original items from this era, the collection includes a scrapbook created by the princess’ governess, Baroness Lehzen.
Victoria: Woman and Crown is a temporary exhibition located in the palace’s Pigott Gallery (currently housing Diana: Her Fashion Story). This collection examines the monarch’s later years, taking a detailed look at the woman behind the crown, her role as a mother and her years spent mourning her beloved husband, Albert.
These two exhibitions are set to be a fitting tribute to one of the UK’s most fascinating and influential monarchs.
HOW TO GET THERE
Baglioni Hotel London (baglionihotels.com; 020 37 587 465) has rooms available from £349 per night based on two adults sharing on a B&B basis, including taxes.
For further details on Kensington Palace, visit hrp. org.uk/kensington-palace.