Wander the bedrooms of Princesses Elizabeth, Augusta and Amelia
The Princesses' Bedrooms at Kew Palace were once occupied by Princesses Elizabeth, Augusta and Amelia – the daughters of George III and Queen Charlotte. They offer a unique view into the lives of Georgian royalty.
During George III’s various bouts of ill health, Charlotte became increasingly anxious to keep her daughters close at hand to provide company and emotional support.
Princess Elizabeth's bedroom
Princess Elizabeth was her parents' third daughter. She acted as a constant companion and aide to her mother. When Kew Palace was re-decorated for royal occupation in 1804–5, Elizabeth was given one of the best apartments on the first floor, close to her mother.
Elizabeth was the most artistic of George III and Queen Charlotte’s children and re-decorated Queen Charlotte’s Cottage and Frogmore House, Windsor. Her own room in Kew Palace was no exception. Royal household accounts from the early 1800s provide a clear picture of the decoration and furnishing of Princess Elizabeth’s bedroom, which has been recreated in the room you can see today.
The walls were lined to create arched recesses in the style of the architect Sir John Soane, and hung with green verditer wallpaper. Traces of the original wallpaper can still be seen in the room today.
Bedrooms of Princess Augusta and Amelia
On the second floor, you can see the bedrooms of Princess Augusta and Princess Amelia. The unrestored section shows traces of the original verditer wallpaper, a Gothic fireplace acquired at her request for Princess Amelia and early 19th-century paint finishes.
While exploring these rooms listen out for the music, which is a modern version of Handel's Sarabande in D Minor, which was one of George III's favourite pieces. The sounds of the harpsichord and flute would have been familiar to the princesses, as their father played his flute during his stays in Kew Palace while being treated for his illness.
Damp and unfit for a queen
Kew Palace was the smallest of the royal palaces; although the room furnishings were expensive and elegant, it did not meet the usual royal standards found in Windsor or London homes.
Princess Elizabeth complained that Kew Palace was damp and unfit to house her mother during her final illness. Writing to her eldest brother, she described the palace with sarcasm as 'this beautiful chateau'. The politician Horace Walpole joked that the bedrooms of the princesses at Kew Palace were so small that they were forced to hang their dresses on the backs of their bedroom doors.
EXPLORE WHAT'S ON
- Things to see
Queen Charlotte's Cottage
Discover a queen's rustic country retreat in the grounds of Kew Palace with a visit to Queen Charlotte’s Cottage.
- Open
- Kew Palace
- Included in Kew Gardens admission
- Events
Quiet Session
Join us for a quiet session in Kew Palace, a calmer experience for those living with or caring for someone with Autism or those who have any other sensory needs, and their families and carers.
- 29 June, 17 July, 21 August and 22 September
- 1 hour
- Kew Palace
- Included in Kew Gardens admission
- Things to see
- Tours and talks
The Great Pagoda
See The Great Pagoda at Kew Palace, now returned to its 18th-century splendour.
- Open
- Kew Palace
- Separate ticket
BROWSE MORE HISTORY AND STORIES
Queen Charlotte
Wife of George III and mother to 15 children
George III, the Complex King
Dutiful, intelligent and cultured, but cruelly labelled ‘mad’
The story of Kew Palace
Britain's smallest royal palace and George III's private retreat
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