Councillors reject 'twee' design for royal palace

A proposed new entrance to Kensington Palace described as "twee" by one critic has been rejected by planning councillors.

The cast-iron and glass structure was part of a £12 million redesign of the historic building, once the home of Diana, Princess of Wales, aimed at enhancing its appeal to visitors.

The entrance or loggia was supported by the Prince of Wales' architecture charity but thrown out by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea's planning committee last night.

Daniel Moylan, the council's cabinet member for planning, had described the loggia - designed by one of Charles' favoured architects - as "decoratively over-elaborate and almost embarrassingly 'twee"'.

A letter written by the Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment praising the entrance prompted criticism from the anti-monarchy group Republic, which accused Charles' organisation of trying to influence the planning process.

Although the loggia was rejected, a Kensington and Chelsea spokeswoman said the rest of the plans were approved by councillors and could go ahead if the iron and glass structure was removed from the designs.

Historic Royal Palaces, the charity which runs Kensington Palace, said they were delighted the overall scheme was approved and that the entrance design had been dropped from their plans.

A spokeswoman said: "Every element of the scheme including the loggia has been very carefully considered but it is one small part of an extensive project."