Paul Burrell discusses Kensington Palace security in 2015

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Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, 39, and Prince William, 39, live in apartment 1A at Kensington Palace with their children Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, six and Prince Louis, three. The London residence is where Kate and William’s administrative office is based and has been home to dozens of royals including Princess Diana and Princess Margaret over the years.

Channel 5 documentary Kensington Palace: Behind Closed Doors will explore the royal residence’s rich history in a new two-part documentary.

From renovations to Princess Diana’s favourite hide-out, The Sunken Garden to the extraordinary upkeep of its interiors, and an extensive display of Diana’s most famous dresses, the programme is a must-see for royal fans.

A press release about it states: “Kensington Palace: Behind Closed Doors is an intimate look at the palace that has been a private home to the Royal Family for more than three hundred years.

“It’s where Queen Victoria spent her childhood, where Princess Diana brought up her sons William and Harry, and where Prince William and his family still live today.”

The statement added: “Part of Kensington is now a unique museum open to the public, and we’ll explore, with the help of Historic Royal Palaces curators, Queen Victoria’s teenage years at the palace, and Princess Diana’s amazing wardrobe, including the iconic dress that she wore to dance with John Travolta at the White House.

“We’ll go behind the scenes to follow the biggest renovation Kensington has seen in years, as chandeliers are reinstalled in the King’s Drawing Room for the first time in over a century, and carpenters restore the precious woodwork in the State Apartments.”

What to expect in episode one

Episode one of the series will air on Channel 5 on June 24 at 8pm.

The episode will take a look at:

• Kensington Palace’s most famous resident, Princess Diana, who moved here with Prince Charles in 1981.
• Diana’s dresses which still draw huge crowds today.
• Viewers will get to watch conservator Libby Thompson and her team as they carefully install a red wool suit from Diana’s wardrobe in a glass case, ready to be shown to the public for the very first time.

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• The restorations in Kensington Palace’s grounds including one of Diana’s favourite places, the Sunken Garden.
• Palace Gardens and Estates manager Graham Dillamore who has been working at the palace for decades will discuss his memories of Diana at Kensington, and how Prince Harry and Meghan chose the garden as the place to announce their engagement.
• The Sunken Garden is where Harry and William are due to unveil a new statue of their late mother on July 1.
• Renovations of the Palace interiors will also be a key theme in the episode as master craftsmen rush to gild the rooms in 23 carat gold leaf, and install four vast hand-carved chandeliers in the King’s Drawing Room – the first time chandeliers have been hung there for over a century.

The episode will also explore Queen Victoria’s childhood at the palace and how her upbringing was so tightly controlled by her mother’s personal secretary, Sir John Conroy, that a restrictive timetable, known as the Kensington System, was created for her.

What to expect in episode two

Episode two of Kensington Palace: Behind Closed Doors will air on Channel 5 on July 1 at 8pm.

The episode will look at:

• The six-month renovation of the Sunken Garden, on the day William and Harry are due to unveil a new statue of Princess Diana there.
• In 2017, the Sunken Garden commemorated the twentieth anniversary of Diana’s tragic death by planting the beds entirely with white memorial flowers.

An exhibition of Diana’s most famous dresses – including the midnight blue velvet Travolta dress named after a dance Diana performed with John Travolta at the White House in 1985.

Princess Margaret “the party Princess” and her time living at the Palace where she was famed for holding social events.

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