Buckingham Palace’s east wing opens its doors to visitors for the first time
Visitors will be given an exclusive glimpse into life as a member of the royal family this summer, as Buckingham Palace opens up its east wing for the first time.
The previously private rooms, built to accommodate Queen Victoria’s growing family between 1847 to 1849, will allow tourists to peek behind the famous Buckingham Palace balcony. Having long been a focal point for numerous national events, such as Trooping the Colour, the balcony is where royals across the generations stand to address their subjects.
Caroline de Guitaut, surveyor of the King's Works of Art, said: “It was Prince Albert's idea to have a balcony at Buckingham Palace, because he saw it as a way of enabling the royal family to connect with the people, and of course that's exactly how, in a sense, it continues to be used on important occasions.'
“It began to be used very early on in Queen Victoria's reign, from 1851, waving off the troops to the Crimean War and welcoming them back on return.”
While visitors will be unable to stand on the balcony itself, the exclusive tour lifts the net curtains on the palace rooms and allows for expansive views down The Mall. Of course, the 19 rooms available to view are ornately decorated – with 18th-century hand-painted Chinese wallpaper, gilded dragons, Imperial silk wall hangings and a glass chandelier shaped like a lotus flower. They also contain some of the finest items in the Royal Collection, many of which were moved from the Royal Pavilion in Brighton when it was sold in 1850 to finance the east wing’s construction.
Main rooms in the east wing include the yellow drawing room and the principal corridor, which runs the length of the wing and includes paintings by artists including Thomas Gainsborough.
Prior to this summer, the east wing underwent five years of improvements, including updates to electrical cabling, plumbing and heating. The necessary maintenance is thought to have cost £369 million. It’s reported that King Charles was ‘instrumental’ in allowing the east wing to be open to the public, with 6000 tickets selling out within hours after they were first made available in April.
Spaces are limited; tours, which will begin from 15 July and run daily until 31 August, only allow 20 visitors at one time. Each ticket cots £75 per person.
Details of Buckingham Palace tours and summer opening can be found at the Royal Collection website.
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