Kensington Palace is not like its sister Buckingham. It sits in the middle of a public park with a much-traveled walkway going past it. There are no guards and only the southern side has gates. And some of it is open to the public. In fact as I approached, a group of schoolchildren were huddling together and looking miserable in the rain as they waited to be escorted around the state rooms. I had actually never been inside before so I went to the reception desk and was about to be handed a ticket when I let the woman know that I was looking for the way to apartment 1.

“You can’t get into the private apartments this way, miss,” she said. “The private rooms are quite separate from the public. You’ll have to follow the path around and it’s on the other side, at the back of the building.” She looked at me suspiciously. It was raining and I was wearing my mack again and probably didn’t look much like a person who visited royal apartments. “Are you delivering something?” she asked. “I could have it sent around there for you.”

“No, I’m coming to live there,” I said and departed, giving her a bright smile and something to think about. I went back into the rain and then found the path that would take me to the back of the palace. The rain came down harder and the wind buffeted me as I finally came to what I hoped was the right door. I rang the bell. Nobody came immediately so I tried the knob and the door swung open. I stepped into a foyer and looked around with surprise. I had expected something like Buckingham Palace—walls lined with royal portraits, antiques and statues everywhere. But this was more like an ordinary home, slightly outmoded and with a lingering smell of furniture polish and damp. I gave a sigh of disappointment, mingled with a small sigh of relief. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about knocking over priceless objects every time I turned around, the way I did at Buckingham Palace. It was also rather cold in that foyer, with a draft swirling about my legs. Not too welcoming a first impression for a newly arrived princess, I thought. But perhaps they were not planning to turn on any form of heat until she arrived.