Though Kensington Palace – the home of Kate Middleton, Prince William and their three children – is open to the public, their private quarters on the royal grounds are off-limits.
Despite being named Apartment 1A, royal experts have said their home is anything but small.
“All of these royal residences at Kensington Palace are called apartments, which of course makes people immediately think they are flats like the American term for an apartment,” royal biographer Christopher Warwick said while appearing on the Royal Beat podcast.
“They are not. If you think of Kensington Palace in a way it is built around three courtyards.
“If you kind of think of them as being these wonderful red brick terrace houses. Because they are all joined, but separate houses.”
As for Kate and William’s ‘apartment’, he said: “It is not a small house.”
Kate and William’s home includes a private garden that cannot be seen from public areas of the palace grounds. Image: Getty Images
Royal author Ingrid Seward confirmed Warwick’s description of the home.
“It’s enormous… and it’s like a piece of countryside in London,” she commented.
Apartment 1A boasts twenty rooms, including five reception rooms and three master bedrooms – two of which are main floor master suites with his-and-hers dressing rooms and separate nurseries for daytime play and sleep.
As for the furnishings in the royal children’s bedrooms, Kate has previously said the family uses IKEA furniture.
In 2018, she told Marcus Engman, IKEA’s Head of Design, that Prince George’s room was decked out with IKEA furniture.
Kate later revealed that Princess Charlotte’s room had received the same treatment.
The kichen has been renovated to Kate and William’s taste, with reports that they spent £170,000 of their own money on the refurbishment.
The home also includes an impressive entrance hall with black and white flagstones, as well as two drawing rooms where guests are taken to.
One of the drawing rooms – which features a grand piano and cream sofas – was where the royal couple welcomed former US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in 2016.
Inside Kate Middleton and Prince William’s Kensington drawing room where they welcomed the Obamas in 2016. Image: Getty Images
The home also includes additional rooms in the basement, such as a gym, laundry room, and space for luggage.
Separate quarters house the royal staff, coming with an additional nine bedrooms and two kitchens.
Kate and William have lived in Apartment 1A since 2013, over 300 years after it was first purchased by William III, when it was known as Nottingham House.
Image: Getty Images
This article first appeared on OverSixty.