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Buckingham Palace is the London residence and administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. It’s located in Westminster.
Introduction to Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace was originally known as Buckingham House. It was built in 1703 for John Sheffield, the 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby (1648-1721), by architect William Winde (c. 1645-1722). At that time, it featured one central block with two service wings.
The Duke’s son, Sir Charles Sheffield (c. 1706-1774), sold the house to King George III in 1761. It was used as a private retreat for Queen Charlotte, and 14 of her 15 children were born there. George III started renovating the house in 1762. People started referring to it as Buckingham Palace around 1791.
King George IV renovated the palace under architect John Nash (1752-1835) in the 1820s, while King William IV continued work under Edward Blore (1787-1879). With the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837, Buckingham Palace became the principal royal residence.
In 1847, Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, found the palace to be too small for the growing royal family and their court life. They decided to enclose the central quadrangle and built the East Front, which is the face of the palace today. It was built by Thomas Cubitt (1788-1855).
Buckingham Palace contains over 830,000 square feet of floor space. It has 775 rooms, including 19 State Rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 92 offices, 188 staff bedrooms, and 78 bathrooms. There’s also a post office, cinema, swimming pool, doctor’s office, and jeweler’s workshop. Over 50,000 people attend official events at the palace annually.
King’s Guard
The King’s Guard (Queen’s Guard when the Monarch is female) are soldiers posted for duty at the palace. They’re fully functioning soldiers and not strictly ceremonial, as many tourists believe.
The Queen’s Guard wear red coats in the summer and gray coats in the winter. The official Changing the Guard ceremony takes place every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 11am, weather permitting, and daily in the summer.
Who’s Home?
How do you know when the Monarch is home? Check out the flags flying above the palace. When the King is at Buckingham Palace, the Royal Standard is flown. All other times, the Union Jack is flown.
Visiting Buckingham Palace
It’s possible to visit all three sections of Buckingham Palace on a self-guided tour. Tickets are on a timed entry for the State Rooms and King’s Gallery, while the Royal Mews can be visited at your leisure. An excellent multimedia guide is available at each section of the palace. We did the Royal Day Out (see below), which is a long but enjoyable day. It’s well worth the price.
Here are some tips to help plan your visit to Buckingham Palace:
- The best time to visit is in the summer, when all sections of the palace are open.
- I highly recommend purchasing tickets online well ahead of time.
- Keep in mind you’ll have to go through airport style security to enter each building.
- There are no bathrooms in the State Rooms until after you leave the building, and no photos are allowed inside.
- You can take photos at the Royal Mews and Queen’s Gallery.
- The nearest Tube stations are St. James’s Park, Victoria, Green Park, and Hyde Park Corner.
Tickets to Buckingham Palace
Tickets can be purchased on-site or on the official website. You get a small discount if you buy them online in advance.
Tickets to the State Rooms cost £50 for adults, £32.20 for young adults age 18-24, and £25 for children under 17 and persons with disabilities (as of February 2024). Children under 5 are admitted free of charge. Allow about 2 ½ hours to visit. The State Rooms are open every summer from July to September, plus select dates from December to May.
Tickets to the Royal Mews (historic coaches and carriages) cost £19 for adults, £12 for young adults age 18-24, and £9.50 for children under 17 and persons with disabilities (as of February 2024). Children under 5 are admitted free of charge. Allow about an hour to visit. The Royal Mews are typically open from February to November.
Tickets to the King’s Gallery cost £19 for adults, £12 for young adults age 18-24, and £9.50 for children under 17 and persons with disabilities (as of February 2024). Children under 5 are admitted free of charge. Allow about 1 ½ hours to visit. The King’s Gallery is open daily except when galleries are being prepared for new exhibitions.
The Royal Day Out includes admission to all three of the above sections. Tickets cost £65.70 for adults, £41.80 for young adults age 18-24, and £32.80 for children under 17 and persons with disabilities (as of February 2024). Children under 5 are admitted free of charge. Allow about four to six hours to complete your visits to all three attractions.
Other ticket combinations and special tickets are available, including guided tours of the garden and evening tours, depending on the time of year.
State Rooms at Buckingham Palace
The tour through the State Rooms is self-guided with a multimedia guide. I obviously don’t have photos inside Buckingham Palace because photos are forbidden. Highlights include the White Drawing Room, Throne Room, Picture Gallery, Ballroom, and Grand Staircase.
Palace Garden
After visiting the State Rooms, visitors exit through the Palace Garden. First, to the right of the exit is the Garden Café, where you can get a snack or drink while looking at the Palace Lawn. Garden parties are usually held on the lawn each July.
As you leave Buckingham Palace, you can get a good look at the west façade. It was the original Buckingham House. Notice the relief sculptures on the walls.
The path leads visitors to the exit of the complex through a portion of the 40-acre garden. It passes the toilets, gift shop, a scenic lake, and an ice cream shop. The rest of the garden contains a helipad, tennis courts, and a small summer house.
Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace
The Royal Mews are the stables at Buckingham Palace. Many historic royal carriages and coaches are kept there.
Horses
The first section of the Royal Mews takes visitors past a couple horses in service of the Royal Family. One was Riga, a Cleveland Bay, and another was Rui, a Windsor Grey. Cleveland Bays and Windsor Greys make up most of the horses used to pull carriages at the Royal Mews.
Courtyard of the Royal Mews
Next, we walked through the courtyard, which is used as a parking lot. Around it, we were able to see the buildings that make up the Royal Mews. They were designed by architect John Nash (1752-1835) and completed in 1825.
Carriage House of the Royal Mews
Along one side of the courtyard is the carriage house, where several state coaches are on display.
Semi-State Landau
The first coach we saw was one of five Semi-State Landaus. Landaus became popular in the 19th century and could be used with the hood open or closed. They were a favorite of Queen Victoria. Semi-State Landaus are used by newly-appointed High Commissioners, who ride in them to present their credentials to the Queen.
Queen Alexandra’s Coach
Next was Queen Alexandra’s Coach. It was built around 1865 as a normal coach, and converted into a glass State Coach in 1893 for Princess (later Queen) Alexandra. She used it for social events until her death in 1925. Since 1962, it has carried the Imperial State Crown, Sword of the State, and Cap of Maintenance, traveling in front of the Queen’s carriage on the way to the State Opening of Parliament.
Diamond Jubilee State Coach
The Diamond Jubilee State Coach was made for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. It was built by Australian coach maker W.J. Frecklington and completed in 2010. It didn’t arrive in London until March 2014, and was first used for the State Opening of Parliament on June 4, 2014.
The Diamond Jubilee State Coach includes material from some of Britain’s most historic buildings and ships, and items directly related to 30 kings and queens and influential British citizens. Some of the buildings represented are the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Windsor Castle, the Palace of Westminster, Canterbury Cathedral, and Edinburgh Castle. Items directly related to William Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, Florence Nightingale, Charles Darwin, and many others were also used.
Glass Coach
Continuing along is the Glass Coach, built in 1881 by Peters & Sons of London. It was purchased by the Crown for the Coronation of King George V in 1911. The Glass Coach has most notably been used for royal weddings. It carried Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother) to Westminster Abbey for her wedding to the future King George VI; the future Queen Elizabeth II to her wedding with Prince Philip in 1947; and Diana Spencer to her wedding with Prince Charles in 1981.
Scottish State Coach
The Scottish State Coach was built in 1830 for Prince Adolphus (1774-1850) and acquired by Queen Mary in 1930. It was converted into the Scottish State Coach in 1968, and is adorned with the Royal Arms of Scotland and the Order of the Thistle. A model of the Crown of Scotland sits on top. It was first used in Edinburgh in 1969, carrying Elizabeth II to the opening of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. It’s frequently used during state processions in London.
2002 Bentley State Limousine
Finally, we were able to see one of two 2002 Bentley State Limousines. It was used for the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2002.
Gold State Coach
From there, we walked into the stables where we could admire the highlight of the collection, the Gold State Coach. It has been used in every coronation ceremony since George IV on July 19, 1821. It was commissioned by King George III in 1760 and built by Samuel Butler.
The Gold State Coach weighs four tons and is completely gilded. It features panels painted by Italian artist Giovanni Battista Cipriani (1727-1785). When in use, it’s pulled by a team of eight Windsor Grey horses. The royal coachmen are traditionally clean-shaven.
Stables at the Royal Mews
The next section of the stables contains a carriage visitors can climb into for photos as well as a few broughams, phaetons, and sleighs often used by the Royal Family. At the very end of the stables is the harness maker’s workshop.
Riding School at the Royal Mews
After turning in my audio guide and exiting the Royal Mews, I was able to peek into the Riding School. It was built in the 1760s, predating the Royal Mews, and was probably designed by William Chambers (1723-1796). All of the horses at the mews are trained there. They learn how to deal with crowd noise and other situations they’ll encounter along royal procession routes.
King’s Gallery
The King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace is a public art gallery displaying works from the Royal Collection. The Royal Collection is the largest private art collection in the world and is overseen by the Royal Collection Trust.
The King’s Gallery was established in 1962 as the Queen’s Gallery. It’s located on the site of a chapel bombed during World War II. It exhibits works owned by the British royal family on a rotating basis. About 450 pieces are on display at any one time.
During my first visit to the gallery, I was able to see Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing. This exhibit displayed over 200 of Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings to mark the 500th anniversary of his death. Maps, anatomical drawings, and studies for some of his most important works of art highlight the collection.
Victoria Memorial
Finally, in front of the Buckingham Palace is the Victoria Memorial. It was commissioned by King Edward VII to honor Queen Victoria after her death, and was sculpted by Sir Thomas Brock (1847-1922). The memorial was designed in 1901 and unveiled on May 16, 1911, but it wasn’t finished until 1924. At 25 meters tall, it’s the tallest monument to a king or queen in England.
The memorial features an enthroned Queen Victoria facing the city. It was carved from a solid block of marble. A statue of Motherhood faces Buckingham Palace, representing Victoria’s great love for her people. On top is a gilded bronze statue of Winged Victory. The four corners feature figures of Peace, Progress, Agriculture, and Manufacture, each standing with bronze lions.
