Kate's back garden to host UK's biggest festive ice rink inspired by Charles
The Prince and Princess of Wales' back garden is set to host the UK's largest festive ice rink - in a business venture launched by the late Queen's eldest grandson. Peter Phillips, the son of Princess Anne, has revealed that a 750-person winter wonderland rink will open over the Christmas period and will be built on a helipad in the grounds of Kensington Palace - the London home of his cousin Prince William and his wife Kate.
Ice At Kensington Palace is billed as "a magical winter event with sustainability at its core" – values which Mr Phillips said were inspired by his uncle, the King, and his Earth Charter project, Terra Carta.
The late Queen's grandson Peter Phillips, who is launching the ice rink (PA)Mr Phillips, 45, told Hello! magazine it was his own idea to use the royal palace as the backdrop for the ice rink. He said: "I've obviously done a number of events in central London and on this site, so we looked at it and we started to come up with some plans. And then started to approach the household in the manner that you have to approach them, to be able to plant the seed and see if we could make something happen."
He explained that "fortunately" he is now in a position to host the event, and that the drive towards sustainability is related to "whose backyard we're in". The King owns Kensington Palace on behalf of the nation. Buckingham Palace has yet to confirm whether Charles made the final decision to grant his nephew permission to use the site.
William and Kate's London home of Kensington Palace (PA)The 2,800 square metre rink with a covered roof will be open from November 30 to January 7 and will be built in Perks Field, used as a helicopter landing place for the royal family on the grounds of Kensington Palace. The northern end of the field – which was used by the Royal Household as a football pitch – will be turned into a funfair and food hall. It has been rented out for VIP events in the past.
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Tickets for the ice rink will cost £19 off-peak for an adult and £22 at peak times, and £16 off-peak and £18 peak for children aged three and above, plus an extra £2.20 fee per person. This includes 45 minutes of skating, skate hire, and access to the food court and shopping areas.
A peak family of four ticket comes to £76.80 including fees, but a 15 per cent early bird discount is available until September 20. It also has a Chairman's Box, available to hire for 50 people for £5,400 and a VIP Lounge. Its official retail partner is royal grocer Fortnum & Mason.
Ice At Kensington Palace's website says £1 from every ticket purchased will be committed to "supporting the habitat restoration projects, enabling each visitor to contribute towards a sustainable future". It also vows to decarbonise its operations, use solar lights and make sure vendors "strive" to eliminate single-use plastics. The ice rink is the brainchild of Mr Phillips and his business partner, Rob Derry, and is being run by Tamarisk Events, of which they are both directors and which was listed with Companies House in January this year.
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