The Best Things In Life are Free (or £6)!

There are a lot of things that I am not yet British enough to know.

It’s trousers, not pants; 9-9-9 for emergencies; museums are free.

The free museums really threw me because there's no such thing as a free lunch in New York.

Here, the British expect free culture. They are also at peace with its costs: queues. An American friend who has lived here for a while, and who has become essentially English through osmosis, told me about a class at Kensington Palace (!! I know) for Kid-2. It's called Tiny Explorers. She had me at Palace. I prepared myself for the velocity with which I would need to navigate the online reservation system, and out-clicked most of the rest of  London to get us a spot. 

The English appear bored with the lavish and historic palaces that dot the country every few hundred kilometres, but I am not. Americans know royalty only through fantastical story books. Royalty, palaces, moats and richly adorned guards are a thing of imagination, not a thing within spitting distance. Here we have actual palaces, Disney style, with ballrooms and tapestry (and frankly very unattractive floral wall coverings) within scooting distance. This was a piece of British culture I was not prepared to miss.

Not surprisingly, most of my friends were on the Tiny Explorer's massive waiting list. So perplexed was I at the great discrepancy in class price and popularity that mid-way through the first class I asked whether we could discuss their pricing strategy. Didn't they know they could make a killing and finally replace that Laura Ashley wall covering?  

Again, the incongruity of supply and demand was a surprise only to the expat. Historic Royal Palaces, an independent charity that runs the open areas of Kensington Palace, is not trying to turn a profit. It is, however, trying to open up British culture and treasures for all, which it accomplishes readily.

As you would expect, this was not a typical kiddy class. Tiny Explorers centres around the true tale of Peter the Wild Boy. I'm not being politically incorrect; that's his name. Discovered at age 12 living among the animals in the woods, Peter was brought to live with King George I in Kensington Palace.

Beside the instructors, two other Kensington Palace representatives assist with the class, or more likely are stationed with us to prevent children from destroying priceless tapestries. These women have been the highlight of our classes. They humoured my questions about royal life, 17th century fashion and Queen Victoria's marriage and they are wildly knowledgable about both the Wild Boy and English history. 

Last class I learned that commoners often petitioned the king for money. Not infrequently, he would grant these requests, for example if the money seeker had a promising invention. Kings were the first angel investors. King George might also oblige if he just liked the guy. With a good story and some quick thinking, turns out you can get a free lunch, at least in London's palaces.

Written by Susan. Susan is an adventurer, former lawyer, current 'trailing' spouse and constant mother of two daughters. She writes on her blog www.SmartlyMomming.com

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