#club5050 England’s Smallest Palace (Power Up 53 Steem)

Kew Palace, situated right here by the river Thames in West London, reopened to the public just a few days ago.

So I didn’t want to miss such a wonderful opportunity and here I am glad to be able to present you the palace, its interior and surroundings.

A robin Erithacus rubecula.

Long-tailed tits and robins, Britain’s favourite garden birds, certainly enjoy hanging around here. They make for stunning photos on a sunny day, especially later in the afternoon when the light is softer.

The amazing view from the games room here on the second floor.

If you read the title of the article, you already know that this is our smallest palace. It is a three-storey, red brick building with a formal garden at the back. There are several Roman statues here and a well in the centre of an evergreen maze.

Men and women in traditional costumes welcome tourists to Kew Palace.

I love the ancient olive trees in ginormous pots that adore the sunshine here but unfortunately never have enough of it. These Mediterranean trees welcome you to the Queen’s garden.

View from Kew Bridge.

Nowadays it still provides a home to many herbs including sage, rosemary, thyme, chives and marjoram. There is no coriander growing here as curries weren’t the royal family’s preferred food at the time. Many medicinal plants though are also happy here which Kew’s hard working gardeners keep looking after.

This wax bust of King George III is taken from an original, modelled in 1809 by Madame Tussaud. It has been positioned here to stand at the correct height of the King.

King George lll (1738-1820) was the last monarch who lived here. He was seriously interested in farming and agriculture and really enjoyed playing the flute.

If you are into history you would know that he suffered from a mental illness which affected the lives of his entire family.

Queen Charlotte (1744-1818)

King George III married Queen Charlotte when he was twenty-two years old just a day after meeting her for the first time. This is just how it was in the olden days. They had fifteen children but no legitimate grandchildren.

Their sons and daughters were middle-aged, childless or had only illegitimate children, at least fifty-six. However arrangements were made for William, Duke of Clarence and Edward, Duke of Kent to marry suitable German princesses to ensure a legitimate heir. This resulted in the birth of Alexandrina Victoria who was crowned Queen Victoria in 1837.

King George III moved into Kew Palace for a treatment accompanied by his wife and four daughters Elizabeth, Sophia, Augusta and Amelia. The gardens were a favourite place for his daughters. They also spent hours each day doing needlecraft. They all enjoyed writing letters to their brothers and their rooms were equipped with modern desks.

George III's father, Frederick and his sisters outside Kew Palace. He died when George III was just twelve years old.

The King lived on the ground floor and was constantly supervised by his doctors. The women were residing upstairs, spending the majority of the time in their rooms and the boudoir where they played cards.

The family used to gather together for an evening meal. King George's behaviour was closely monitored by the doctors. He had an eating disorder too and couldn't hold down the food, which he even didn't have much appetite for. But he always enjoyed three glasses of red wine with every meal, excluding breakfast of course!

The dining room.

A double wedding was held here in Kew Palace in the elegant drawing room as Queen Charlotte was not well enough to travel. Prince Edward married princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg, parents to the future Queen Victoria, and Prince William married Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen on 11th July 1818.

I believe you enjoyed being shown around Kew Palace here in London today and learnt bits and bobs about the royal family.

Princess Elizabeth's bedroom.

After my visit to the palace I thought that there can't be a better time to start watching the new season of Bridgerton now on Netflix. What is mostly of interest to me is actually the story of Penelope, a 19th-century British female blogger. She dashes under cover to a printer at night and then gets a bag full of coins from the sales of her journal which she hides in her room. It seems to me that unless you were deeply in love and busy looking after ten or so children, women back in the days took on writing even if it was just about the gossip of their own circle. You never know as you can see two hundred or so years later some would find such content fantastic. So back to us, the Steemians, right here, right now, who are so lucky to not have to wait this long for an acknowledgement on the platform.

I am pleased that I also powered up 53 Steem and below is a screenshot of this important transaction.