You’ve seen it on The Crown and now you can see Buckingham Palace in real life
Forget standing outside the gates and snapping photos of the Changing of the Guard like a real tourist, and get inside Buckingham Palace instead this summer. Yes the King is throwing open the doors of the Palace to the public for ten weeks, giving you the chance to explore the lavish State Rooms – those are the ones the His Maj uses for official entertaining and ceremonial occasions, and they’re filled with treasures from the Royal Collection, including some of the finest paintings, sculpture, porcelain and furniture in the world.
Take a peek around the opulent White Drawing Room; the Throne Room, home to the Chairs of Estate used in the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953; the enormous, chandelier-bedecked Ballroom where State Banquets are held and where a pair of thrones used for the coronation of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in 1902 reside: the Music Room, which hasn’t changed since 1831; the Picture Gallery, featuring works by Titian, Rembrandt, Rubens, and Van Dyck; and the gilded Grand Staircase, lined with portraits of Queen Victoria’s family. You can also check out the 16-hectare Palace Garden, which includes a summer house, a rose garden, the Waterloo Vase and the Palace tennis court where King George VI and Fred Perry used to hit a few balls around.
There’s also an extra special display on this year in honour of the Coronation, with the outfits worn by King Charles III and Queen Camilla during the ceremony on show in the Ballroom, which is included in the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace tickets. There’s no photography allowed anywhere inside the Palace though, so don’t go thinking you get can this on the ‘gram.
Fri 14th July – Sun 24th September 2023
Buckingham Palace, Westminster, London SW1A 1AA
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