Buckingham Palace is a place of immense importance, especially these days when the United Kingdom has lost its Queen of the 70 years and has just welcomed new King Charles III. Initially building has been a townhouse of Duke of Buckingham and later it was acquired by King George III in 1761. Later it became a royal residence since 1837 when Queen Victoria chose it as her seat.
For many tourists this is a must-visit area of London: St James Park, Green Park, The Mall, Memorial Gardens and The Queen Victoria Memorial (it was officially opened in 1911 by King George V) are all located nearby.
Buckingham palace has always been in the heart of all Royal family events, and people throughout the world have seen the Queen waving from its balcony on the days of celebrations such as weddings and jubilees. This is how the area looked liked during the Platinum Jubilee (2022) and the wedding of Kate and William (2022).
During the sad days such as the death of Prince Philip, the Queen Elizabeth II’s husband for the 73 years, and now of the Queen, Buckingham Palace becomes flooded with flowers from people who pay their tribute.
Right now, during the national mourning, the Royal parks around are flooded with flowers and notes with warm words to the Queen.
Tour around the Buckingham Palace
For most of the year you can admire it only from the outside (apart from the Gallery – see below), but you can get inside a few months a year acquiring tickets in advance. In total, there are 775 rooms in the Palace, but only the State rooms are open to the public. There are many highlights to admire including the art collection, the Marble Hall, the Throne room, the Music room, and the Ballroom. Unfortunately, photography is limited inside the Buckingham Palace.
Garden and cafe
Dining like a prince or princess? Well, apart from the state rooms, you can visit Garden Café with drinks, sandwiches and snacks located at the back of the palace. In addition, you can have a walk in the garden behind the palace: part of it is open to the public. No surprise it’s the biggest private garden in the country!
Royal Mews in Buckingham Palace
You can explore more of the royal history inside the Royal Mews that started its its history in 1760s when the King George III started a Riding school here The stables are a magnificent example of British tradition of horse breeding, riding and coach excellence. Windsor Greys and Cleveland Bays horses are the main breeds used for towing carriages and accompanying the guests of the Royal family.
In Buckingham Palace you can also explore magnificent carriages to the modern era with the state cars such as Bentley and Rolls-Royce limousines. Among other coaches there are semi-state landau, Queen Alexandra’s state coach, Irish state coach, and Glass coach.
Also you’ll get a chance to admire the Gold State Coach that has been used for every single coronation for over 250 years and shined thought the Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
Queen’s Gallery of Art
The Queen’s Gallery of art is a nice museum In Buckingham Palace opened in 1962. It’s open to the public throughout the year and hosts temporary exhibitions and a shop with British Monarchy-related goods.
Watch the tribute film to The Queen Elizabeth II prepared by the Royal Collection Trust:
You can also read my blogs related to British Monarchy:
- Windsor Castle
- Holyrood Palace and Royal Yacht Britannia as a part of my Edinburgh Museums guide
- Platinum Jubilee
- Chelsea in Bloom 2022 (Platinum Jubilee edition)
- Belgravia in Bloom 2022 (Platinum Jubilee edition)
Yours,
Anna
