Weddings and events at Kensington Palace: venues, prices and capacity
Kensington Palace hosts only a few weddings a year. The rooms and the Orangery you can hire, how many guests each takes, 2026–27 fees and how to book.
Kensington Palace is one of the most exclusive wedding venues in London. It’s still a royal home, and Historic Royal Palaces, the independent charity that runs the public side of the palace, accepts only a limited number of weddings each year. If you secure a date, you can marry in the rooms where Queen Victoria grew up, and where she first met Prince Albert in 1836, then dance the night away in Queen Anne’s Orangery. This guide sets out the spaces, the guest numbers, the 2026–27 fees and the practical steps.
We’re an independent guide, not the venue. Prices are taken from Historic Royal Palaces’ 2026–27 wedding brochure and exclude VAT unless we say otherwise. Always confirm them with the events team.
Where you can marry
Kensington Palace is licensed for civil ceremonies of up to 150 guests. You can marry in:
- The King’s Gallery, the palace’s largest room (up to 150 guests);
- The King’s Drawing Room, overlooking Kensington Gardens (up to 100);
- The Orangery (up to 150);
- outdoors on the Orangery Lawns, the East Front Lawns, the Cradle Walk (the tunnel of pleached limes around the Sunken Garden) or the Meadow, with room capacities applying.
The palace takes only one booking a day, so you won’t share it with another wedding.
The state apartments
Four interlinking rooms in the King’s State Apartments are used for weddings, and you can see them all on a normal visit before you book:
- The King’s Gallery: built for William III and redecorated by William Kent for George I, with paintings from the Royal Collection and a painted ceiling. It takes 150 for a ceremony, 170 for drinks and 110 for dinner on round tables (82 on one long table).
- The King’s Drawing Room: 100 for a ceremony or drinks, 90 for dinner (60 on two long tables).
- The Cupola Room: William Kent’s gilded room with its trompe l’œil ceiling, where the future Queen Victoria was baptised in 1819. It takes 80 for drinks or 60 for dinner.
- The Queen’s Gallery: a wood-panelled room in the oldest part of the palace, for 150 standing or 72 at dinner. The Queen’s State Apartments are closed for restoration until spring 2027, so ask about availability.
State apartment hire runs in the evening, from 7pm to 11pm, after the palace has closed to visitors. There’s no dancing in the state apartments, so couples who want a party usually add the Orangery or a marquee on its lawns.
The Orangery and its lawns
A short walk north of the palace, the Orangery was built in 1704–05 for Queen Anne, probably to designs by Nicholas Hawksmoor with changes by Sir John Vanbrugh. It’s a long, light-filled hall with its own private lawns and a south-facing terrace, and it’s the palace’s only space licensed for music and dancing.
- Drinks receptions: up to 300 guests, flowing out on to the terrace and lawns.
- Dinner indoors: 80 on round tables or 96 on two long tables.
- Drinks outside, dinner inside: up to 150 on round tables, or 192 on two long tables. You’ll need to hire tents over the terrace from one of the approved marquee companies.
- Dinner and dancing: up to 120.
For bigger weddings, marquees can be built on the Orangery Lawns. Multi-day and large-scale builds are quoted individually.
By day the Orangery is a restaurant, so daytime and all-day bookings carry an extra buyout fee to cover its lost trade. It varies by month and is lowest in winter.
Hire fees for 2026–27
Kensington Palace is a dry-hire venue: the fee covers the space, and food, drink, flowers and music are booked separately through approved suppliers.
| Space | Times | Fee (+ VAT) | Inc. VAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| One state apartment room (King’s Gallery, King’s Drawing Room, Cupola Room or Queen’s Gallery) | 19.00–23.00 | £22,000 | £26,400 |
| The Orangery and lawns, evening (includes drinks in the palace Entrance Hall) | 19.00–23.00 | £18,000 | £21,600 |
| The Orangery and lawns, daytime | 10.00–15.30 | £16,000 + buyout fee |
£19,200 + buyout fee |
| The Orangery and lawns, all day | 10.00–23.00 | £26,000 + buyout fee |
£31,200 + buyout fee |
| State apartments and Orangery, evening (drinks in the palace, dinner in the Orangery, 150 guests) | 19.00–23.00 | £30,000 | £36,000 |
| State apartments and Orangery, all day | Orangery 10.00–23.00 Palace 19.00–23.00 |
£45,000 + buyout fee |
£54,000 + buyout fee |
For drinks receptions of more than 300, there’s an extra charge of £3,000 + VAT per 100 guests.
Extras and add-ons
- A private view of an exhibition for your guests, for 90 minutes, with palace staff on hand: £5,000 + VAT.
- The Sunken Garden, home of the statue of Diana, for drinks or photographs from 6.30pm to 8pm: £5,000 + VAT.
- The East Front Garden, with the Orangery only, 6.30pm to 9pm: £5,000 + VAT.
- Small tents and structures on the Orangery Lawns: £5,000 + VAT.
- Early access to the Orangery from 3pm or 4pm: £2,000 + VAT an hour.
- Personalised welcome screens in the Entrance Hall (four weeks’ notice): £1,500 + VAT.
- Extra time: half an hour for £1,000 + VAT from Sunday to Thursday; on Fridays and Saturdays, £1,000 + VAT per half hour, up to an hour.
The palace can also arrange tours by its own Palace Guides for groups of up to 30, or short talks about the history of the palace and the Orangery.
Registrars and notice
Kensington Palace is in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, whose registrars conduct ceremonies here. Book the palace first, then book the registrars once the venue has confirmed your date. Their fee is separate and depends on the day and time. For winter 2026–27 (1 November to 31 March), it starts at £665 on a Monday to Thursday morning, £775 on a Saturday morning and £880 on a Sunday; Saturday afternoons in summer 2027 cost £841. See the council’s Kensington Palace page for the full table.
You must also each give notice of marriage at the register office where you live, at least 29 full days before the wedding. The statutory fee is £42 each for UK and Irish citizens. A civil ceremony in England can’t include religious content, so couples who want a religious service usually hold it elsewhere first.
What to know before you book
- Approved suppliers only. Catering, flowers, furniture, entertainment and production all come from the palace’s approved list. You can bring your own photographer, cake maker and transport, with your event planner’s approval.
- What the fee includes: exclusive use of the spaces you’ve booked, an event manager, a cleaner and an electrician.
- No air conditioning. The historic rooms can get warm on summer evenings; there are a few fans.
- Access. The palace has step-free access and lifts, accessible toilets and accessible parking. Talk to the team about your guests’ needs, because access varies by space and set-up.
- Light and seasons. Evening hire starts at 7pm. In midsummer you’ll have daylight until about 9.30pm for photographs in the gardens; from autumn to spring, the rooms are candlelit and the lime walk can be lit with fairy lights.
- Visit first. A guided tour of the palace or an ordinary ticket lets you see the King’s Gallery and the King’s Drawing Room before you meet the events team. See our ticket guide for this winter’s prices.
Your guests can reach the palace easily: High Street Kensington, Queensway and Notting Hill Gate stations are all within about 15 minutes’ walk. Read our guide to Kensington Gardens for the park around the palace, and to Diana at Kensington Palace for the story of the Sunken Garden.
Other events
Weddings are only part of the story. The palace hosts drinks receptions, gala dinners, private celebrations, brand launches and award ceremonies, using the same state apartments, the Orangery and its lawns. Large-scale events can combine the state apartments with a marquee on the lawns.
Looking for a bigger royal venue? Our sister site has a guide to getting married at Hampton Court Palace, where Henry VIII’s Great Hall seats 220 for dinner and weddings take up to about 250 guests.
Questions people ask
Can you get married at Kensington Palace?
Yes. It’s licensed for civil ceremonies of up to 150 guests, in the King’s Gallery, the King’s Drawing Room, the Orangery and several outdoor spaces. Only a limited number of weddings are held each year.
How much does a Kensington Palace wedding cost?
For 2026–27, a state apartment room costs £22,000 + VAT for the evening, and the Orangery from £16,000 + VAT. Combining the palace and the Orangery costs £30,000 + VAT for an evening. Catering, drinks, flowers and the registrars are extra.
How many guests can you have?
Up to 150 for a ceremony, 110 for dinner in the King’s Gallery, up to 192 for dinner in the Orangery with an outdoor reception, and 300 for drinks.
Can you dance at a Kensington Palace wedding?
Only in the Orangery, or in a marquee on its lawns. Dancing isn’t allowed in the state apartments.
Can you have an afternoon tea or small celebration instead?
Yes. The Orangery is open to the public as a restaurant by day, and serves afternoon tea. It’s a lovely place for a small family celebration without hiring the venue.
Who do I contact to book?
Historic Royal Palaces’ events team, through the official Kensington Palace weddings page.
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