

Don’t let the fact that Kensington Palace was built in 1605 fool you. The palace, home to the Cambridges and other members of the royal family, is outfitted with high-tech security features that rival even the most modern of homes.
Apartment 1A—where Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Princess Louis live—is equipped with a panic room and a secret tunnel to help ensure the family’s safety. (The term “apartment,” by the way, is a bit misleading: The Cambridges’ home features 20 rooms, including five reception rooms, three main bedrooms, dressing rooms, a night and day nursery, and staff quarters, per the Mirror.) The home is also complete with a top-secret panic room and a special escape tunnel to protect them from biological warfare, the outlet reports.
“Kate and William’s royal apartment at Kensington Palace includes a panic room with an air filtration system, guarding against biological warfare, and an escape tunnel,” the Global Citizen reports, via the Mirror.
The panic room may be a new nugget of information about Apartment 1A, but the secret tunnel has been reported on in the past–namely because William and his brother, Prince Harry, used the tunnel as a secret entrance to KP while growing up there with their mother, Princess Diana.
And William and Kate aren’t the only royals with high-tech security setups. Her Majesty has a panic room at both Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, which are “encased in 18-inch thick, bullet-resistant, fire-retardant steel walls,” the Global Citizen says. Prince Charles and Camilla’s Highgrove home has an iron room the size of a shipping container that can be used in matters of emergency. And all royal panic rooms are designed to ensure that the monarch and her three heirs can survive for at least a week, the Global Citizen says.
“The royal panic rooms are designed to withstand poison gas, bombs, or terrorist attacks,” the outlet reports. “They are equipped with secure communications, beds, washing equipment, and enough food and water for the royals to survive for at least a week.”
The outlet also added that very few people know exactly where each royal’s panic room is located, for obvious reasons.
Marie Claire Newsletter
Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.
-
Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt Reminiscing Over 'The Devil Wears Prada' Quotes Is as Adorable as It Sounds
Strangers still quote the movie to them till this day.
By Quinci LeGardye
-
Don’t Underestimate Niacinamide
It’s a multi-talented ingredient.
By Samantha Holender
-
Of Course 'Squid Game: The Challenge' Is Getting a Season 2
Cue the green-light puns.
By Quinci LeGardye
-
The Palace Seemingly Used Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to Distract From Prince William's Alleged Affair, Omid Scobie Says
The "affair" is pure speculation, Scobie stresses.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Royal Family Crisis Talks Being Planned In the Aftermath of the Release of ‘Endgame’
Legal action is reportedly on the table.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
If You Want to Work for the Prince and Princess of Wales, You Have To Pass a Truly Bizarre Test First
We, um, were not expecting this.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
Prince William is Jealous of Prince Harry’s Ability to “Break Away” from the Royal Establishment, Omid Scobie Writes
“It’s easy to see why William’s fury is bubbling to the top.”
By Rachel Burchfield
-
Prince William and Prince Harry Will Probably Only See One Another for One Occasion Henceforth
And it’s not an occasion anyone relishes.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
Apparently King Charles and Prince William Aren’t as Close as We’ve Assumed They Were Since Queen Elizabeth’s Death
Instead of working together for the good of the Crown, Omid Scobie writes that the two are more interested in individual success.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
Prince George and Princess Charlotte "Will Attend Boarding School Together," Claims Royal Source
I'll personally be waiting for an official announcement, though.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
In Between a Rock and a Hard Place, King Charles Might Have the Solution to See Both of His Sons Over the Holidays
Here’s what we know about Prince William, Prince Harry, and Christmas at Sandringham.
By Rachel Burchfield