Kew Palace in south-west London once a royal palace
that was once home to “mad” King George III is to open to the public
after being shut for 10 years. The king used Kew as a place
to
convalesce during his bouts of mental illness, which are believed to
have been caused by the hereditary disease porphyria.

From May 2006, visitors will be able to tour the
palace, which is in the grounds of Kew’s famous Royal Botanic
Gardens.
The palace was a royal residence from 1728 to 1818, and in the early
19th Century was the home of King George III and Queen
Charlotte.

The newly opened palace will show an exhibition of
Georgian life, including literature, music, horticulture, architecture
and astronomy. The second floor of the palace has never been
seen
before by the public, and has been hardly altered since it was
decorated for the Georgian princesses in the early 19th
Century.