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Buckingham Palace

March 20, 2023

Coordinates: 51°30′3″N 0°8′31″W / 51.50083°N 0.14194°W / 51.50083; -0.14194

Buckingham Palace (UK: /ˈbʌkɪŋəm/)[1] is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom.[a][2] Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It has been a focal point for the British people at times of national rejoicing and mourning.

Aerial view of Buckingham Palace during Queen Elizabeth II's official 90th birthday celebrations in 2016. The principal façade, the East Front, was originally completed in 1850, and was remodelled in 1913 by Aston Webb.

Originally known as Buckingham House, the building at the core of today's palace was a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703 on a site that had been in private ownership for at least 150 years. It was acquired by King George III in 1761 as a private residence for Queen Charlotte and became known as The Queen's House. During the 19th century it was enlarged by architects John Nash and Edward Blore, who constructed three wings around a central courtyard. Buckingham Palace became the London residence of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837.

The last major structural additions were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the East Front, which contains the well-known balcony on which the royal family traditionally appears to greet crowds. A German bomb destroyed the palace chapel during the Second World War; the Queen's Gallery was built on the site and opened to the public in 1962 to exhibit works of art from the Royal Collection.

The original early-19th-century interior designs, many of which survive, include widespread use of brightly coloured scagliola and blue and pink lapis, on the advice of Sir Charles Long. King Edward VII oversaw a partial redecoration in a Belle Époque cream and gold colour scheme. Many smaller reception rooms are furnished in the Chinese regency style with furniture and fittings brought from the Royal Pavilion at Brighton and from Carlton House. The palace has 775 rooms, and the garden is the largest private garden in London. The state rooms, used for official and state entertaining, are open to the public each year for most of August and September and on some days in winter and spring.

History

Pre-1624

In the Middle Ages, the site of the future palace formed part of the Manor of Ebury (also called Eia). The marshy ground was watered by the river Tyburn, which still flows below the courtyard and south wing of the palace.[3] Where the river was fordable (at Cow Ford), the village of Eye Cross grew. Ownership of the site changed hands many times; owners included Edward the Confessor and Edith of Wessex in late Saxon times, and, after the Norman Conquest, William the Conqueror. William gave the site to Geoffrey de Mandeville, who bequeathed it to the monks of Westminster Abbey.[b]

In 1531, Henry VIII acquired the Hospital of St James, which became St James's Palace,[4] from Eton College, and in 1536 he took the Manor of Ebury from Westminster Abbey.[5] These transfers brought the site of Buckingham Palace back into royal hands for the first time since William the Conqueror had given it away almost 500 years earlier.[6] Various owners leased it from royal landlords, and the freehold was the subject of frenzied speculation during the 17th century. By then, the old village of Eye Cross had long since fallen into decay, and the area was mostly wasteland.[7] Needing money, James VI and I sold off part of the Crown freehold but retained part of the site on which he established a four-acre (1.6 ha) mulberry garden for the production of silk. (This is at the north-west corner of today's palace.)[8] Clement Walker in Anarchia Anglicana (1649) refers to "new-erected sodoms and spintries at the Mulberry Garden at S. James's"; this suggests it may have been a place of debauchery. Eventually, in the late 17th century, the freehold was inherited from the property tycoon Sir Hugh Audley by the great heiress Mary Davies.[c]

First houses on the site (1624–1761)

 
Buckingham House, c. 1710

Possibly the first house erected within the site was that of Sir William Blake, around 1624.[9] The next owner was Lord Goring, who from 1633 extended Blake's house, which came to be known as Goring House, and developed much of today's garden, then known as Goring Great Garden.[10][11] He did not, however, obtain the freehold interest in the mulberry garden. Unbeknown to Goring, in 1640 the document "failed to pass the Great Seal before Charles I fled London, which it needed to do for legal execution".[12] It was this critical omission that would help the British royal family regain the freehold under George III.[13] When the improvident Goring defaulted on his rents,[14] Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington was able to purchase the lease of Goring House and he was occupying it when it burned down in 1674,[11] following which he constructed Arlington House on the site—the location of the southern wing of today's palace—the next year.[11] In 1698, John Sheffield acquired the lease. He later became the first Duke of Buckingham and Normanby.[15] Buckingham House was built for Sheffield in 1703 to the design of William Winde. The style chosen was of a large, three-floored central block with two smaller flanking service wings.[16] It was eventually sold by Buckingham's illegitimate son, Sir Charles Sheffield, in 1761[17] to George III for £21,000.[18][d] Sheffield's leasehold on the mulberry garden site, the freehold of which was still owned by the royal family, was due to expire in 1774.[19]

From Queen's House to palace (1761–1837)

 
The house in 1819

Under the new royal ownership, the building was originally intended as a private retreat for Queen Charlotte, and was accordingly known as The Queen's House. Remodelling of the structure began in 1762.[20] In 1775, an Act of Parliament settled the property on Queen Charlotte, in exchange for her rights to nearby Somerset House,[21][e] and 14 of her 15 children were born there. Some furnishings were transferred from Carlton House and others had been bought in France after the French Revolution[22] of 1789. While St James's Palace remained the official and ceremonial royal residence,[21] the name "Buckingham-palace" was used from at least 1791.[23] After his accession to the throne in 1820, George IV continued the renovation intending to create a small, comfortable home. However, in 1826, while the work was in progress, the King decided to modify the house into a palace with the help of his architect John Nash.[24] The external façade was designed, keeping in mind the French neoclassical influence preferred by George IV. The cost of the renovations grew dramatically, and by 1829 the extravagance of Nash's designs resulted in his removal as the architect. On the death of George IV in 1830, his younger brother William IV hired Edward Blore to finish the work.[25][26] William never moved into the palace. After the Palace of Westminster was destroyed by fire in 1834, he offered to convert Buckingham Palace into a new Houses of Parliament, but his offer was declined.[27]

Queen Victoria (1837–1901)

 
The palace c. 1837, depicting Marble Arch, a ceremonial entrance. It was moved to make way for the east wing in 1847.

Buckingham Palace became the principal royal residence in 1837, on the accession of Queen Victoria,[28] who was the first monarch to reside there; her predecessor William IV had died before its completion.[29] While the state rooms were a riot of gilt and colour, the necessities of the new palace were somewhat less luxurious. It was reported the chimneys smoked so much that the fires had to be allowed to die down, and consequently the palace was often cold.[30] Ventilation was so bad that the interior smelled, and when it was decided to install gas lamps, there was a serious worry about the build-up of gas on the lower floors. It was also said that the staff were lax and lazy and the palace was dirty.[30] Following the Queen's marriage in 1840, her husband, Prince Albert, concerned himself with a reorganisation of the household offices and staff, and with addressing the design faults of the palace.[31] By the end of 1840, all the problems had been rectified. However, the builders were to return within a decade.[31]

By 1847, the couple had found the palace too small for court life and their growing family[32] and a new wing, designed by Edward Blore, was built by Thomas Cubitt,[33] enclosing the central quadrangle. The large East Front, facing The Mall, is today the "public face" of Buckingham Palace and contains the balcony from which the royal family acknowledge the crowds on momentous occasions and after the annual Trooping the Colour.[34] The ballroom wing and a further suite of state rooms were also built in this period, designed by Nash's student Sir James Pennethorne.[35] Before Prince Albert's death, the palace was frequently the scene of musical entertainments,[36] and the most celebrated contemporary musicians entertained at Buckingham Palace. The composer Felix Mendelssohn is known to have played there on three occasions.[37] Johann Strauss II and his orchestra played there when in England.[38] Under Victoria, Buckingham Palace was frequently the scene of lavish costume balls, in addition to the usual royal ceremonies, investitures and presentations.[39]

Widowed in 1861, the grief-stricken Queen withdrew from public life and left Buckingham Palace to live at Windsor Castle, Balmoral Castle and Osborne House. For many years the palace was seldom used, even neglected. In 1864, a note was found pinned to the fence of Buckingham Palace, saying: "These commanding premises to be let or sold, in consequence of the late occupant's declining business."[40] Eventually, public opinion persuaded the Queen to return to London, though even then she preferred to live elsewhere whenever possible. Court functions were still held at Windsor Castle, presided over by the sombre Queen habitually dressed in mourning black, while Buckingham Palace remained shuttered for most of the year.[41]

Early 20th century (1901–1945)

 
 
The east wing public façade, enclosing the courtyard, was built between 1847 and 1850; it was remodelled to its present form in 1913.

In 1901, the new king, Edward VII, began redecorating the palace. The King and his wife, Queen Alexandra, had always been at the forefront of London high society, and their friends, known as "the Marlborough House Set", were considered to be the most eminent and fashionable of the age. Buckingham Palace—the Ballroom, Grand Entrance, Marble Hall, Grand Staircase, vestibules and galleries were redecorated in the Belle Époque cream and gold colour scheme they retain today—once again became a setting for entertaining on a majestic scale but leaving some to feel Edward's heavy redecorations were at odds with Nash's original work.[42]

The last major building work took place during the reign of George V when, in 1913, Sir Aston Webb redesigned Blore's 1850 East Front to resemble in part Giacomo Leoni's Lyme Park in Cheshire. This new refaced principal façade (of Portland stone) was designed to be the backdrop to the Victoria Memorial, a large memorial statue of Queen Victoria created by sculptor Sir Thomas Brock, erected outside the main gates on a surround constructed by architect Sir Aston Webb.[43] George V, who had succeeded Edward VII in 1910, had a more serious personality than his father; greater emphasis was now placed on official entertainment and royal duties than on lavish parties.[44] He arranged a series of command performances featuring jazz musicians such as the Original Dixieland Jazz Band (1919; the first jazz performance for a head of state), Sidney Bechet and Louis Armstrong (1932), which earned the palace a nomination in 2009 for a (Kind of) Blue Plaque by the Brecon Jazz Festival as one of the venues making the greatest contribution to jazz music in the United Kingdom.[45][46]

During the First World War, which lasted from 1914 until 1918, the palace escaped unscathed. Its more valuable contents were evacuated to Windsor, but the royal family remained in residence. The King imposed rationing at the palace, much to the dismay of his guests and household.[47] To the King's later regret, David Lloyd George persuaded him to go further and ostentatiously lock the wine cellars and refrain from alcohol, to set a good example to the supposedly inebriated working class. The workers continued to imbibe, and the King was left unhappy at his enforced abstinence.[48]

George V's wife, Queen Mary, was a connoisseur of the arts and took a keen interest in the Royal Collection of furniture and art, both restoring and adding to it. Queen Mary also had many new fixtures and fittings installed, such as the pair of marble Empire-style chimneypieces by Benjamin Vulliamy, dating from 1810, which the Queen had installed in the ground floor Bow Room, the huge low room at the centre of the garden façade. Queen Mary was also responsible for the decoration of the Blue Drawing Room.[49] This room, 69 feet (21 metres) long, previously known as the South Drawing Room, has a ceiling designed by Nash, coffered with huge gilt console brackets.[50] In 1938, the northwest pavilion, designed by Nash as a conservatory, was converted into a swimming pool.[51]

Second World War

External video
  Buckingham Palace Bombed (1940) – Newsreel of damage to the palace and chapel (1:08)

During the Second World War, which broke out in 1939, the palace was bombed nine times.[52] The most serious and publicised incident destroyed the palace chapel in 1940. This event was shown in cinemas throughout the United Kingdom to show the common suffering of the rich and poor. One bomb fell in the palace quadrangle while George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the future Queen Mother) were in the palace, and many windows were blown in and the chapel destroyed.[53] Wartime coverage of such incidents was severely restricted, however. The King and Queen were filmed inspecting their bombed home; it was at this time the Queen famously declared: "I'm glad we have been bombed. Now I can look the East End in the face".[54] The royal family were seen as sharing their subjects' hardship, as The Sunday Graphic reported:

By the Editor: The King and Queen have endured the ordeal which has come to their subjects. For the second time a German bomber has tried to bring death and destruction to the home of Their Majesties ... When this war is over the common danger which King George and Queen Elizabeth have shared with their people will be a cherished memory and an inspiration through the years.[55]

On 15 September 1940, known as Battle of Britain Day, an RAF pilot, Ray Holmes of No. 504 Squadron RAF rammed a German Dornier Do 17 bomber he believed was going to bomb the Palace. Holmes had run out of ammunition and made the quick decision to ram it. Holmes bailed out and the aircraft crashed into the forecourt of London Victoria station.[56] The bomber's engine was later exhibited at the Imperial War Museum in London. The British pilot became a King's Messenger after the war and died at the age of 90 in 2005.[57] On VE Day—8 May 1945—the palace was the centre of British celebrations. The King, the Queen, Princess Elizabeth (the future queen) and Princess Margaret appeared on the balcony, with the palace's blacked-out windows behind them, to cheers from a vast crowd in The Mall.[58] The damaged Palace was carefully restored after the war by John Mowlem & Co.[59]

Mid 20th century to present day

 
The Victoria Memorial during a dress rehearsal for Trooping the Colour in 2015

Many of the palace's contents are part of the Royal Collection, held in trust by King Charles III; they can, on occasion, be viewed by the public at the Queen's Gallery, near the Royal Mews. The purpose-built gallery opened in 1962 and displays a changing selection of items from the collection.[60] It occupies the site of the chapel that was destroyed in the Second World War.[15] The palace was designated a Grade I listed building in 1970.[61] Its state rooms have been open to the public during August and September and on some dates throughout the year since 1993. The money raised in entry fees was originally put towards the rebuilding of Windsor Castle after the 1992 fire devastated many of its staterooms.[62] In the year to 31 March 2017, 580,000 people visited the palace, and 154,000 visited the gallery.[63]

The palace used to racially segregate staff. In 1968, Charles Tryon, 2nd Baron Tryon, acting as treasurer to Queen Elizabeth II, sought to exempt Buckingham Palace from full application of the Race Relations Act 1968.[64][65] He stated that the palace did not hire people of colour for clerical jobs, only as domestic servants. He arranged with Civil servants for an exemption that meant that complaints of racism against the royal household would be sent directly to the Home Secretary and kept out of the legal system.[65]

The palace, like Windsor Castle, is owned by the reigning monarch in right of the Crown. Occupied royal palaces are not part of the Crown Estate,[66] nor are they the monarch's personal property, unlike Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle.[67] The Government of the United Kingdom is responsible for maintaining the palace in exchange for the profits made by the Crown Estate.[68] In 2015, the State Dining Room was closed for a year and a half because its ceiling had become potentially dangerous.[69] A 10-year schedule of maintenance work, including new plumbing, wiring, boilers and radiators, and the installation of solar panels on the roof, has been estimated to cost £369 million and was approved by the prime minister in November 2016. It will be funded by a temporary increase in the Sovereign Grant paid from the income of the Crown Estate and is intended to extend the building's working life by at least 50 years.[70][71] In 2017, the House of Commons backed funding for the project by 464 votes to 56.[72]

Buckingham Palace is a symbol and home of the British monarchy, an art gallery and a tourist attraction. Behind the gilded railings and gates that were completed by the Bromsgrove Guild in 1911,[41] lies Webb's famous façade, which was described in a book published by the Royal Collection Trust as looking "like everybody's idea of a palace".[41] It has not only been a weekday home of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip but is also the London residence of the Duke of York and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. The palace also houses their offices, as well as those of the Princess Royal and Princess Alexandra, and is the workplace of more than 800 people.[73][74] Charles III lives at Clarence House while restoration work continues, although he conducts official business at Buckingham Palace, including weekly meetings with the Prime Minister.[75] Every year, some 50,000 invited guests are entertained at garden parties, receptions, audiences and banquets. Three garden parties are held in the summer, usually in July.[76] The forecourt of Buckingham Palace is used for the Changing of the Guard, a major ceremony and tourist attraction (daily from April to July; every other day in other months).[77]

Interior

 
Piano nobile of Buckingham Palace. The areas defined by shaded walls represent lower minor wings.
Note: This is an unscaled sketch plan for reference only. Proportions of some rooms may slightly differ in reality.

The front of the palace measures 355 feet (108 m) across, by 390 feet (120 m) deep, by 80 feet (24 m) high and contains over 830,000 square feet (77,000 m2) of floorspace.[78] There are 775 rooms, including 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, 78 bathrooms, 52 principal bedrooms and 19 state rooms. It also has a post office, cinema, swimming pool, doctor's surgery,[73] and jeweller's workshop.[79] The Royal family occupy a small suite of private rooms in the north wing.[80]

Principal rooms

The principal rooms are contained on the first-floor piano nobile behind the west-facing garden façade at the rear of the palace. The centre of this ornate suite of state rooms is the Music Room, its large bow the dominant feature of the façade. Flanking the Music Room are the Blue and the White Drawing Rooms. At the centre of the suite, serving as a corridor to link the state rooms, is the Picture Gallery, which is top-lit and 55 yards (50 m) long.[81] The Gallery is hung with numerous works including some by Rembrandt, van Dyck, Rubens and Vermeer;[82] other rooms leading from the Picture Gallery are the Throne Room and the Green Drawing Room. The Green Drawing Room serves as a huge anteroom to the Throne Room, and is part of the ceremonial route to the throne from the Guard Room at the top of the Grand Staircase.[81] The Guard Room contains white marble statues of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, in Roman costume, set in a tribune lined with tapestries. These very formal rooms are used only for ceremonial and official entertaining but are open to the public every summer.[83]

Semi-state apartments

 
Prince William and his wife Catherine greeting Barack and Michelle Obama in the 1844 room

Directly underneath the state apartments are the less grand semi-state apartments. Opening from the Marble Hall, these rooms are used for less formal entertaining, such as luncheon parties and private audiences. At the centre of this floor is the Bow Room, through which thousands of guests pass annually to the monarch's garden parties.[84] When paying a state visit to Britain, foreign heads of state are usually entertained by the monarch at Buckingham Palace. They are allocated an extensive suite of rooms known as the Belgian Suite, situated at the foot of the Minister's Staircase, on the ground floor of the west-facing Garden Wing. Some of the rooms are named and decorated for particular visitors, such as the 1844 Room, decorated in that year for the state visit of Nicholas I of Russia, and the 1855 Room, in honour of the visit of Napoleon III of France.[85] The former is a sitting room that also serves as an audience room and is often used for personal investitures. Narrow corridors link the rooms of the suite, one of them is given extra height and perspective by saucer domes designed by Nash in the style of Soane.[86] A second corridor in the suite has Gothic-influenced cross-over vaulting.[86] The suite was named after Leopold I of Belgium, uncle of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. In 1936, the suite briefly became the private apartments of the palace when Edward VIII occupied them.[73] The original early-19th-century interior designs, many of which still survive, included widespread use of brightly coloured scagliola and blue and pink lapis, on the advice of Sir Charles Long. Edward VII oversaw a partial redecoration in a Belle Époque cream and gold colour scheme.[87]

East wing

 
Elizabeth II's final appearance on the balcony during Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022

Between 1847 and 1850, when Blore was building the new east wing, the Brighton Pavilion was once again plundered of its fittings. As a result, many of the rooms in the new wing have a distinctly oriental atmosphere. The red and blue Chinese Luncheon Room is made up of parts of the Brighton Banqueting and Music Rooms with a large oriental chimneypiece designed by Robert Jones and sculpted by Richard Westmacott.[88] It was formerly in the Music Room at the Brighton Pavilion.[88] The ornate clock, known as the Kylin Clock, was made in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, China, in the second half of the 18th century; it has a later movement by Benjamin Vulliamy circa 1820.[89] The Yellow Drawing Room has wallpaper supplied in 1817 for the Brighton Saloon, and a chimneypiece which is a European vision of how the Chinese chimney piece may appear. It has nodding mandarins in niches and fearsome winged dragons, designed by Robert Jones.[90]

At the centre of this wing is the famous balcony with the Centre Room behind its glass doors. This is a Chinese-style saloon enhanced by Queen Mary, who, working with the designer Sir Charles Allom, created a more "binding"[91] Chinese theme in the late 1920s, although the lacquer doors were brought from Brighton in 1873. Running the length of the piano nobile of the east wing is the Great Gallery, modestly known as the Principal Corridor, which runs the length of the eastern side of the quadrangle.[92] It has mirrored doors and mirrored cross walls reflecting porcelain pagodas and other oriental furniture from Brighton. The Chinese Luncheon Room and Yellow Drawing Room are situated at each end of this gallery, with the Centre Room in between.[93]

Court ceremonies

Investitures, which include the conferring of knighthoods by dubbing with a sword, and other awards take place in the palace's Ballroom, built in 1854. At 120 feet (36.6 m) long, 60 feet (18 m) wide and 45 feet (13.5 m) high,[73] it is the largest room in the palace. It has replaced the throne room in importance and use. During investitures, the King stands on the throne dais beneath a giant, domed velvet canopy, known as a shamiana or a baldachin, that was used at the Delhi Durbar in 1911.[94] A military band plays in the musicians' gallery as award recipients approach the King and receive their honours, watched by their families and friends.[95]

 
A state banquet in the Ballroom

State banquets also take place in the Ballroom; these formal dinners are held on the first evening of a state visit by a foreign head of state.[95] On these occasions, for up to 170 guests in formal "white tie and decorations", including tiaras, the dining table is laid with the Grand Service, a collection of silver-gilt plate made in 1811 for the Prince of Wales, later George IV.[96] The largest and most formal reception at Buckingham Palace takes place every November when the King entertains members of the diplomatic corps.[97] On this grand occasion, all the state rooms are in use, as the royal family proceed through them,[98] beginning at the great north doors of the Picture Gallery. As Nash had envisaged, all the large, double-mirrored doors stand open, reflecting the numerous crystal chandeliers and sconces, creating a deliberate optical illusion of space and light.[99]

Smaller ceremonies such as the reception of new ambassadors take place in the "1844 Room". Here too, the King holds small lunch parties, and often meetings of the Privy Council. Larger lunch parties often take place in the curved and domed Music Room or the State Dining Room.[100] Since the bombing of the palace chapel in World War II, royal christenings have sometimes taken place in the Music Room. Queen Elizabeth II's first three children were all baptised there.[101] On all formal occasions, the ceremonies are attended by the Yeomen of the Guard, in their historic uniforms, and other officers of the court such as the Lord Chamberlain.[100]

Former ceremonial

Court dress

 
President Nixon with members of the royal family in the ground floor Marble Hall

Formerly, men not wearing military uniform wore knee breeches of 18th-century design. Women's evening dress included trains and tiaras or feathers in their hair (often both). The dress code governing formal court uniform and dress has progressively relaxed. After the First World War, when Queen Mary wished to follow fashion by raising her skirts a few inches from the ground, she requested a lady-in-waiting to shorten her own skirt first to gauge the King's reaction. King George V disapproved, so the Queen kept her hemline unfashionably low.[102] Following his accession in 1936, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth allowed the hemline of daytime skirts to rise. Today, there is no official dress code.[73] Most men invited to Buckingham Palace in the daytime choose to wear service uniform or lounge suits;[73] a minority wear morning coats, and in the evening, depending on the formality of the occasion, black tie or white tie.[103]

Court presentation of débutantes

Débutantes were aristocratic young ladies making their first entrée into society through a presentation to the monarch at court. These occasions, known as "coming out", took place at the palace from the reign of Edward VII. The débutantes entered—wearing full court dress, with three ostrich feathers in their hair—curtsied, performed a backwards walk and a further curtsey, while manoeuvring a dress train of prescribed length. The ceremony, known as an evening court, corresponded to the "court drawing rooms" of Victoria's reign.[104] After World War II, the ceremony was replaced by less formal afternoon receptions, omitting the requirement of court evening dress.[105] In 1958, Queen Elizabeth II abolished the presentation parties for débutantes,[106] replacing them with Garden Parties,[f] for up to 8,000 invitees in the Garden. They are the largest functions of the year.[108]

Garden and surroundings

Further information: Buckingham Palace Garden

At the rear of the palace is the large and park-like garden, which together with its lake is the largest private garden in London.[109] There, Queen Elizabeth II hosted her annual garden parties each summer and also held large functions to celebrate royal milestones, such as jubilees. It covers 17 ha (42 acres) and includes a helicopter landing area, a lake and a tennis court.[73]

Adjacent to the palace is the Royal Mews, also designed by Nash, where the royal carriages, including the Gold State Coach, are housed. This rococo gilt coach, designed by Sir William Chambers in 1760, has painted panels by G. B. Cipriani. It was first used for the State Opening of Parliament by George III in 1762 and has been used by the monarch for every coronation since George IV. It was last used for the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II.[110] Also housed in the mews are the coach horses used at royal ceremonial processions.[111]

The Mall, a ceremonial approach route to the palace, was designed by Sir Aston Webb and completed in 1911 as part of a grand memorial to Queen Victoria. It extends from Admiralty Arch, across St James's Park to the Victoria Memorial. This route is used by the cavalcades and motorcades of visiting heads of state, and by the royal family on state occasions—such as the annual Trooping the Colour.[112]

 
The lawn and west façade, faced in Bath stone, of Buckingham Palace

Security breaches

The boy Jones was an intruder who gained entry to the palace on three occasions between 1838 and 1841.[113][114] At least 12 people have managed to gain unauthorised entry into the palace or its grounds since 1914,[115] including Michael Fagan, who broke into the palace twice in 1982 and entered Queen Elizabeth II's bedroom on the second occasion. At the time, news media reported that he had a long conversation with her while she waited for security officers to arrive, but in a 2012 interview with The Independent, Fagan said she ran out of the room, and no conversation took place.[116] It was only in 2007 that trespassing on the palace grounds became a specific criminal offence.[117][g]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ By tradition, the British Royal Court is officially resident at St James's Palace, which means that, while foreign ambassadors assuming their new position are received by the British sovereign at Buckingham Palace, they are accredited to the "Court of St James's Palace". This anomaly continues for the sake of tradition, as Buckingham Palace is to all intents and purposes the official residence. See (Official website of the British Monarchy).
  2. ^ The topography of the site and its ownership are dealt with in Wright, chapters 1–4.
  3. ^ Audley and Davies were key figures in the development of Ebury Manor and also the Grosvenor Estate (see dukes of Westminster), which still exists today. They are remembered in the street names North Audley Street, South Audley Street, and Davies Street, all in Mayfair.
  4. ^ The purchase price is given by Wright p. 142 as £28,000.
  5. ^ The tradition persists of foreign ambassadors being formally accredited to "the Court of St James's", even though it is at Buckingham Palace that they present their credentials and staff to the monarch upon their appointment.
  6. ^ Princess Margaret is reputed to have remarked of the débutante presentations: "We had to put a stop to it, every tart in London was getting in."[107]
  7. ^ Under section 128(1) of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, "A person commits an offence if he enters, or is on, any designated site in England and Wales or Northern Ireland as a trespasser".[118] Buckingham Palace is a designated site under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (Designated Sites under Section 128) Order 2007.[119]

References

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  4. ^ Goring, p. 28.
  5. ^ Goring, p. 18.
  6. ^ "Chapter 1: The Acquisition of the Estate". The Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair. Survey of London. Vol. 39. London County Council. 1977. pp. 1–5. from the original on 13 December 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
  7. ^ Wright, pp. 76–78.
  8. ^ Goring, pp. 31, 36.
  9. ^ Wright, p. 83.
  10. ^ Goring, Chapter V
  11. ^ a b c Harris, p. 21.
  12. ^ Wright, p. 96.
  13. ^ Goring, p. 62.
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  15. ^ a b . Royal Collection Trust. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
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  17. ^ Robinson, p. 14.
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  19. ^ Mackenzie, p. 12.
  20. ^ Harris, p. 24.
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  22. ^ Jones, p. 42.
  23. ^ Burke, Edmund, ed. (1791). The Annual Register. p. 8. Retrieved 25 September 2016. Buckingham-palace was the dwelling house of the king.
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  25. ^ Harris, p. 33.
  26. ^ . www.royal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010.
  27. ^ Ziegler, Philip (1971). King William IV. Collins. p. 280. ISBN 978-0-00-211934-4.
  28. ^ . www.royal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 27 March 2010.
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Bibliography

  • Allison, Ronald; Riddell, Sarah (1991). The Royal Encyclopedia. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-53810-2
  • Blaikie, Thomas (2002). You Look Awfully Like the Queen: Wit and Wisdom from the House of Windsor. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-00-714874-7.
  • Goring, O. G. (1937). From Goring House to Buckingham Palace. London: Ivor Nicholson & Watson.
  • Harris, John; de Bellaigue, Geoffrey; & Miller, Oliver (1968). Buckingham Palace. London: Nelson. ISBN 0-17-141011-4.
  • Healey, Edma (1997). The Queen's House: A Social History of Buckingham Palace. London: Penguin Group. ISBN 0-7181-4089-3.
  • Hedley, Olwen (1971) The Pictorial History of Buckingham Palace. Pitkin, ISBN 0-85372-086-X.
  • Jones, Nigel R. (2005). Architecture of England, Scotland, and Wales. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-31850-4.
  • King, Greg (2007). Twilight of Splendor: The Court of Queen Victoria During Her Diamond Jubilee Year. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-04439-1.
  • Mackenzie, Compton (1953). The Queen's House. London: Hutchinson.
  • Nash, Roy (1980). Buckingham Palace: The Place and the People. London: Macdonald Futura. ISBN 0-354-04529-6.
  • Peacocke, M. D. (1951). The Story of Buckingham Palace. London: Odhams Press.
  • Rappaport, Helen (2003). Queen Victoria: A Biographical Companion. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-85109-355-7.
  • Robinson, John Martin (1999). Buckingham Palace. Published by The Royal Collection, St James's Palace, London ISBN 1-902163-36-2.
  • Williams, Neville (1971). Royal Homes. The Lutterworth Press. ISBN 0-7188-0803-7.
  • Woodham-Smith, Cecil (1973). Queen Victoria (vol 1) Hamish Hamilton Ltd.
  • Wright, Patricia (1999; first published 1996). The Strange History of Buckingham Palace. Stroud, Gloucs.: Sutton Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-7509-1283-9.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Buckingham Palace.
 
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Buckingham Palace.
  • Buckingham Palace at the Royal Family website
  • Account of Buckingham Palace, with prints of Arlington House and Buckingham House from Old and New London (1878)
  • Account of the acquisition of the Manor of Ebury from Survey of London (1977)
  • The State Rooms, Buckingham Palace at the Royal Collection Trust
  •   Geographic data related to Buckingham Palace at OpenStreetMap

March 20, 2023
buckingham, palace, coordinates, 50083, 14194, 50083, 14194, london, royal, residence, administrative, headquarters, monarch, united, kingdom, located, city, westminster, palace, often, centre, state, occasions, royal, hospitality, been, focal, point, british,. Coordinates 51 30 3 N 0 8 31 W 51 50083 N 0 14194 W 51 50083 0 14194 Buckingham Palace UK ˈ b ʌ k ɪ ŋ e m 1 is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom a 2 Located in the City of Westminster the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality It has been a focal point for the British people at times of national rejoicing and mourning Aerial view of Buckingham Palace during Queen Elizabeth II s official 90th birthday celebrations in 2016 The principal facade the East Front was originally completed in 1850 and was remodelled in 1913 by Aston Webb Originally known as Buckingham House the building at the core of today s palace was a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703 on a site that had been in private ownership for at least 150 years It was acquired by King George III in 1761 as a private residence for Queen Charlotte and became known as The Queen s House During the 19th century it was enlarged by architects John Nash and Edward Blore who constructed three wings around a central courtyard Buckingham Palace became the London residence of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837 The last major structural additions were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries including the East Front which contains the well known balcony on which the royal family traditionally appears to greet crowds A German bomb destroyed the palace chapel during the Second World War the Queen s Gallery was built on the site and opened to the public in 1962 to exhibit works of art from the Royal Collection The original early 19th century interior designs many of which survive include widespread use of brightly coloured scagliola and blue and pink lapis on the advice of Sir Charles Long King Edward VII oversaw a partial redecoration in a Belle Epoque cream and gold colour scheme Many smaller reception rooms are furnished in the Chinese regency style with furniture and fittings brought from the Royal Pavilion at Brighton and from Carlton House The palace has 775 rooms and the garden is the largest private garden in London The state rooms used for official and state entertaining are open to the public each year for most of August and September and on some days in winter and spring Contents 1 History 1 1 Pre 1624 1 2 First houses on the site 1624 1761 1 3 From Queen s House to palace 1761 1837 1 4 Queen Victoria 1837 1901 1 5 Early 20th century 1901 1945 1 5 1 Second World War 1 6 Mid 20th century to present day 2 Interior 2 1 Principal rooms 2 2 Semi state apartments 2 3 East wing 3 Court ceremonies 3 1 Former ceremonial 3 1 1 Court dress 3 1 2 Court presentation of debutantes 4 Garden and surroundings 5 Security breaches 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 Bibliography 10 External linksHistory EditPre 1624 Edit In the Middle Ages the site of the future palace formed part of the Manor of Ebury also called Eia The marshy ground was watered by the river Tyburn which still flows below the courtyard and south wing of the palace 3 Where the river was fordable at Cow Ford the village of Eye Cross grew Ownership of the site changed hands many times owners included Edward the Confessor and Edith of Wessex in late Saxon times and after the Norman Conquest William the Conqueror William gave the site to Geoffrey de Mandeville who bequeathed it to the monks of Westminster Abbey b In 1531 Henry VIII acquired the Hospital of St James which became St James s Palace 4 from Eton College and in 1536 he took the Manor of Ebury from Westminster Abbey 5 These transfers brought the site of Buckingham Palace back into royal hands for the first time since William the Conqueror had given it away almost 500 years earlier 6 Various owners leased it from royal landlords and the freehold was the subject of frenzied speculation during the 17th century By then the old village of Eye Cross had long since fallen into decay and the area was mostly wasteland 7 Needing money James VI and I sold off part of the Crown freehold but retained part of the site on which he established a four acre 1 6 ha mulberry garden for the production of silk This is at the north west corner of today s palace 8 Clement Walker in Anarchia Anglicana 1649 refers to new erected sodoms and spintries at the Mulberry Garden at S James s this suggests it may have been a place of debauchery Eventually in the late 17th century the freehold was inherited from the property tycoon Sir Hugh Audley by the great heiress Mary Davies c First houses on the site 1624 1761 Edit Buckingham House c 1710 Possibly the first house erected within the site was that of Sir William Blake around 1624 9 The next owner was Lord Goring who from 1633 extended Blake s house which came to be known as Goring House and developed much of today s garden then known as Goring Great Garden 10 11 He did not however obtain the freehold interest in the mulberry garden Unbeknown to Goring in 1640 the document failed to pass the Great Seal before Charles I fled London which it needed to do for legal execution 12 It was this critical omission that would help the British royal family regain the freehold under George III 13 When the improvident Goring defaulted on his rents 14 Henry Bennet 1st Earl of Arlington was able to purchase the lease of Goring House and he was occupying it when it burned down in 1674 11 following which he constructed Arlington House on the site the location of the southern wing of today s palace the next year 11 In 1698 John Sheffield acquired the lease He later became the first Duke of Buckingham and Normanby 15 Buckingham House was built for Sheffield in 1703 to the design of William Winde The style chosen was of a large three floored central block with two smaller flanking service wings 16 It was eventually sold by Buckingham s illegitimate son Sir Charles Sheffield in 1761 17 to George III for 21 000 18 d Sheffield s leasehold on the mulberry garden site the freehold of which was still owned by the royal family was due to expire in 1774 19 From Queen s House to palace 1761 1837 Edit The house in 1819 Under the new royal ownership the building was originally intended as a private retreat for Queen Charlotte and was accordingly known as The Queen s House Remodelling of the structure began in 1762 20 In 1775 an Act of Parliament settled the property on Queen Charlotte in exchange for her rights to nearby Somerset House 21 e and 14 of her 15 children were born there Some furnishings were transferred from Carlton House and others had been bought in France after the French Revolution 22 of 1789 While St James s Palace remained the official and ceremonial royal residence 21 the name Buckingham palace was used from at least 1791 23 After his accession to the throne in 1820 George IV continued the renovation intending to create a small comfortable home However in 1826 while the work was in progress the King decided to modify the house into a palace with the help of his architect John Nash 24 The external facade was designed keeping in mind the French neoclassical influence preferred by George IV The cost of the renovations grew dramatically and by 1829 the extravagance of Nash s designs resulted in his removal as the architect On the death of George IV in 1830 his younger brother William IV hired Edward Blore to finish the work 25 26 William never moved into the palace After the Palace of Westminster was destroyed by fire in 1834 he offered to convert Buckingham Palace into a new Houses of Parliament but his offer was declined 27 Queen Victoria 1837 1901 Edit The palace c 1837 depicting Marble Arch a ceremonial entrance It was moved to make way for the east wing in 1847 Buckingham Palace became the principal royal residence in 1837 on the accession of Queen Victoria 28 who was the first monarch to reside there her predecessor William IV had died before its completion 29 While the state rooms were a riot of gilt and colour the necessities of the new palace were somewhat less luxurious It was reported the chimneys smoked so much that the fires had to be allowed to die down and consequently the palace was often cold 30 Ventilation was so bad that the interior smelled and when it was decided to install gas lamps there was a serious worry about the build up of gas on the lower floors It was also said that the staff were lax and lazy and the palace was dirty 30 Following the Queen s marriage in 1840 her husband Prince Albert concerned himself with a reorganisation of the household offices and staff and with addressing the design faults of the palace 31 By the end of 1840 all the problems had been rectified However the builders were to return within a decade 31 By 1847 the couple had found the palace too small for court life and their growing family 32 and a new wing designed by Edward Blore was built by Thomas Cubitt 33 enclosing the central quadrangle The large East Front facing The Mall is today the public face of Buckingham Palace and contains the balcony from which the royal family acknowledge the crowds on momentous occasions and after the annual Trooping the Colour 34 The ballroom wing and a further suite of state rooms were also built in this period designed by Nash s student Sir James Pennethorne 35 Before Prince Albert s death the palace was frequently the scene of musical entertainments 36 and the most celebrated contemporary musicians entertained at Buckingham Palace The composer Felix Mendelssohn is known to have played there on three occasions 37 Johann Strauss II and his orchestra played there when in England 38 Under Victoria Buckingham Palace was frequently the scene of lavish costume balls in addition to the usual royal ceremonies investitures and presentations 39 Widowed in 1861 the grief stricken Queen withdrew from public life and left Buckingham Palace to live at Windsor Castle Balmoral Castle and Osborne House For many years the palace was seldom used even neglected In 1864 a note was found pinned to the fence of Buckingham Palace saying These commanding premises to be let or sold in consequence of the late occupant s declining business 40 Eventually public opinion persuaded the Queen to return to London though even then she preferred to live elsewhere whenever possible Court functions were still held at Windsor Castle presided over by the sombre Queen habitually dressed in mourning black while Buckingham Palace remained shuttered for most of the year 41 Early 20th century 1901 1945 Edit The east wing public facade enclosing the courtyard was built between 1847 and 1850 it was remodelled to its present form in 1913 In 1901 the new king Edward VII began redecorating the palace The King and his wife Queen Alexandra had always been at the forefront of London high society and their friends known as the Marlborough House Set were considered to be the most eminent and fashionable of the age Buckingham Palace the Ballroom Grand Entrance Marble Hall Grand Staircase vestibules and galleries were redecorated in the Belle Epoque cream and gold colour scheme they retain today once again became a setting for entertaining on a majestic scale but leaving some to feel Edward s heavy redecorations were at odds with Nash s original work 42 The last major building work took place during the reign of George V when in 1913 Sir Aston Webb redesigned Blore s 1850 East Front to resemble in part Giacomo Leoni s Lyme Park in Cheshire This new refaced principal facade of Portland stone was designed to be the backdrop to the Victoria Memorial a large memorial statue of Queen Victoria created by sculptor Sir Thomas Brock erected outside the main gates on a surround constructed by architect Sir Aston Webb 43 George V who had succeeded Edward VII in 1910 had a more serious personality than his father greater emphasis was now placed on official entertainment and royal duties than on lavish parties 44 He arranged a series of command performances featuring jazz musicians such as the Original Dixieland Jazz Band 1919 the first jazz performance for a head of state Sidney Bechet and Louis Armstrong 1932 which earned the palace a nomination in 2009 for a Kind of Blue Plaque by the Brecon Jazz Festival as one of the venues making the greatest contribution to jazz music in the United Kingdom 45 46 During the First World War which lasted from 1914 until 1918 the palace escaped unscathed Its more valuable contents were evacuated to Windsor but the royal family remained in residence The King imposed rationing at the palace much to the dismay of his guests and household 47 To the King s later regret David Lloyd George persuaded him to go further and ostentatiously lock the wine cellars and refrain from alcohol to set a good example to the supposedly inebriated working class The workers continued to imbibe and the King was left unhappy at his enforced abstinence 48 George V s wife Queen Mary was a connoisseur of the arts and took a keen interest in the Royal Collection of furniture and art both restoring and adding to it Queen Mary also had many new fixtures and fittings installed such as the pair of marble Empire style chimneypieces by Benjamin Vulliamy dating from 1810 which the Queen had installed in the ground floor Bow Room the huge low room at the centre of the garden facade Queen Mary was also responsible for the decoration of the Blue Drawing Room 49 This room 69 feet 21 metres long previously known as the South Drawing Room has a ceiling designed by Nash coffered with huge gilt console brackets 50 In 1938 the northwest pavilion designed by Nash as a conservatory was converted into a swimming pool 51 Second World War Edit External video Buckingham Palace Bombed 1940 Newsreel of damage to the palace and chapel 1 08 During the Second World War which broke out in 1939 the palace was bombed nine times 52 The most serious and publicised incident destroyed the palace chapel in 1940 This event was shown in cinemas throughout the United Kingdom to show the common suffering of the rich and poor One bomb fell in the palace quadrangle while George VI and Queen Elizabeth the future Queen Mother were in the palace and many windows were blown in and the chapel destroyed 53 Wartime coverage of such incidents was severely restricted however The King and Queen were filmed inspecting their bombed home it was at this time the Queen famously declared I m glad we have been bombed Now I can look the East End in the face 54 The royal family were seen as sharing their subjects hardship as The Sunday Graphic reported By the Editor The King and Queen have endured the ordeal which has come to their subjects For the second time a German bomber has tried to bring death and destruction to the home of Their Majesties When this war is over the common danger which King George and Queen Elizabeth have shared with their people will be a cherished memory and an inspiration through the years 55 On 15 September 1940 known as Battle of Britain Day an RAF pilot Ray Holmes of No 504 Squadron RAF rammed a German Dornier Do 17 bomber he believed was going to bomb the Palace Holmes had run out of ammunition and made the quick decision to ram it Holmes bailed out and the aircraft crashed into the forecourt of London Victoria station 56 The bomber s engine was later exhibited at the Imperial War Museum in London The British pilot became a King s Messenger after the war and died at the age of 90 in 2005 57 On VE Day 8 May 1945 the palace was the centre of British celebrations The King the Queen Princess Elizabeth the future queen and Princess Margaret appeared on the balcony with the palace s blacked out windows behind them to cheers from a vast crowd in The Mall 58 The damaged Palace was carefully restored after the war by John Mowlem amp Co 59 Mid 20th century to present day Edit The Victoria Memorial during a dress rehearsal for Trooping the Colour in 2015 Many of the palace s contents are part of the Royal Collection held in trust by King Charles III they can on occasion be viewed by the public at the Queen s Gallery near the Royal Mews The purpose built gallery opened in 1962 and displays a changing selection of items from the collection 60 It occupies the site of the chapel that was destroyed in the Second World War 15 The palace was designated a Grade I listed building in 1970 61 Its state rooms have been open to the public during August and September and on some dates throughout the year since 1993 The money raised in entry fees was originally put towards the rebuilding of Windsor Castle after the 1992 fire devastated many of its staterooms 62 In the year to 31 March 2017 580 000 people visited the palace and 154 000 visited the gallery 63 The palace used to racially segregate staff In 1968 Charles Tryon 2nd Baron Tryon acting as treasurer to Queen Elizabeth II sought to exempt Buckingham Palace from full application of the Race Relations Act 1968 64 65 He stated that the palace did not hire people of colour for clerical jobs only as domestic servants He arranged with Civil servants for an exemption that meant that complaints of racism against the royal household would be sent directly to the Home Secretary and kept out of the legal system 65 The palace like Windsor Castle is owned by the reigning monarch in right of the Crown Occupied royal palaces are not part of the Crown Estate 66 nor are they the monarch s personal property unlike Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle 67 The Government of the United Kingdom is responsible for maintaining the palace in exchange for the profits made by the Crown Estate 68 In 2015 the State Dining Room was closed for a year and a half because its ceiling had become potentially dangerous 69 A 10 year schedule of maintenance work including new plumbing wiring boilers and radiators and the installation of solar panels on the roof has been estimated to cost 369 million and was approved by the prime minister in November 2016 It will be funded by a temporary increase in the Sovereign Grant paid from the income of the Crown Estate and is intended to extend the building s working life by at least 50 years 70 71 In 2017 the House of Commons backed funding for the project by 464 votes to 56 72 Buckingham Palace is a symbol and home of the British monarchy an art gallery and a tourist attraction Behind the gilded railings and gates that were completed by the Bromsgrove Guild in 1911 41 lies Webb s famous facade which was described in a book published by the Royal Collection Trust as looking like everybody s idea of a palace 41 It has not only been a weekday home of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip but is also the London residence of the Duke of York and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh The palace also houses their offices as well as those of the Princess Royal and Princess Alexandra and is the workplace of more than 800 people 73 74 Charles III lives at Clarence House while restoration work continues although he conducts official business at Buckingham Palace including weekly meetings with the Prime Minister 75 Every year some 50 000 invited guests are entertained at garden parties receptions audiences and banquets Three garden parties are held in the summer usually in July 76 The forecourt of Buckingham Palace is used for the Changing of the Guard a major ceremony and tourist attraction daily from April to July every other day in other months 77 Interior Edit Piano nobile of Buckingham Palace The areas defined by shaded walls represent lower minor wings Note This is an unscaled sketch plan for reference only Proportions of some rooms may slightly differ in reality The front of the palace measures 355 feet 108 m across by 390 feet 120 m deep by 80 feet 24 m high and contains over 830 000 square feet 77 000 m2 of floorspace 78 There are 775 rooms including 188 staff bedrooms 92 offices 78 bathrooms 52 principal bedrooms and 19 state rooms It also has a post office cinema swimming pool doctor s surgery 73 and jeweller s workshop 79 The Royal family occupy a small suite of private rooms in the north wing 80 Principal rooms Edit The principal rooms are contained on the first floor piano nobile behind the west facing garden facade at the rear of the palace The centre of this ornate suite of state rooms is the Music Room its large bow the dominant feature of the facade Flanking the Music Room are the Blue and the White Drawing Rooms At the centre of the suite serving as a corridor to link the state rooms is the Picture Gallery which is top lit and 55 yards 50 m long 81 The Gallery is hung with numerous works including some by Rembrandt van Dyck Rubens and Vermeer 82 other rooms leading from the Picture Gallery are the Throne Room and the Green Drawing Room The Green Drawing Room serves as a huge anteroom to the Throne Room and is part of the ceremonial route to the throne from the Guard Room at the top of the Grand Staircase 81 The Guard Room contains white marble statues of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in Roman costume set in a tribune lined with tapestries These very formal rooms are used only for ceremonial and official entertaining but are open to the public every summer 83 Semi state apartments Edit Prince William and his wife Catherine greeting Barack and Michelle Obama in the 1844 room Directly underneath the state apartments are the less grand semi state apartments Opening from the Marble Hall these rooms are used for less formal entertaining such as luncheon parties and private audiences At the centre of this floor is the Bow Room through which thousands of guests pass annually to the monarch s garden parties 84 When paying a state visit to Britain foreign heads of state are usually entertained by the monarch at Buckingham Palace They are allocated an extensive suite of rooms known as the Belgian Suite situated at the foot of the Minister s Staircase on the ground floor of the west facing Garden Wing Some of the rooms are named and decorated for particular visitors such as the 1844 Room decorated in that year for the state visit of Nicholas I of Russia and the 1855 Room in honour of the visit of Napoleon III of France 85 The former is a sitting room that also serves as an audience room and is often used for personal investitures Narrow corridors link the rooms of the suite one of them is given extra height and perspective by saucer domes designed by Nash in the style of Soane 86 A second corridor in the suite has Gothic influenced cross over vaulting 86 The suite was named after Leopold I of Belgium uncle of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert In 1936 the suite briefly became the private apartments of the palace when Edward VIII occupied them 73 The original early 19th century interior designs many of which still survive included widespread use of brightly coloured scagliola and blue and pink lapis on the advice of Sir Charles Long Edward VII oversaw a partial redecoration in a Belle Epoque cream and gold colour scheme 87 East wing Edit Elizabeth II s final appearance on the balcony during Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022 Between 1847 and 1850 when Blore was building the new east wing the Brighton Pavilion was once again plundered of its fittings As a result many of the rooms in the new wing have a distinctly oriental atmosphere The red and blue Chinese Luncheon Room is made up of parts of the Brighton Banqueting and Music Rooms with a large oriental chimneypiece designed by Robert Jones and sculpted by Richard Westmacott 88 It was formerly in the Music Room at the Brighton Pavilion 88 The ornate clock known as the Kylin Clock was made in Jingdezhen Jiangxi Province China in the second half of the 18th century it has a later movement by Benjamin Vulliamy circa 1820 89 The Yellow Drawing Room has wallpaper supplied in 1817 for the Brighton Saloon and a chimneypiece which is a European vision of how the Chinese chimney piece may appear It has nodding mandarins in niches and fearsome winged dragons designed by Robert Jones 90 At the centre of this wing is the famous balcony with the Centre Room behind its glass doors This is a Chinese style saloon enhanced by Queen Mary who working with the designer Sir Charles Allom created a more binding 91 Chinese theme in the late 1920s although the lacquer doors were brought from Brighton in 1873 Running the length of the piano nobile of the east wing is the Great Gallery modestly known as the Principal Corridor which runs the length of the eastern side of the quadrangle 92 It has mirrored doors and mirrored cross walls reflecting porcelain pagodas and other oriental furniture from Brighton The Chinese Luncheon Room and Yellow Drawing Room are situated at each end of this gallery with the Centre Room in between 93 Court ceremonies EditInvestitures which include the conferring of knighthoods by dubbing with a sword and other awards take place in the palace s Ballroom built in 1854 At 120 feet 36 6 m long 60 feet 18 m wide and 45 feet 13 5 m high 73 it is the largest room in the palace It has replaced the throne room in importance and use During investitures the King stands on the throne dais beneath a giant domed velvet canopy known as a shamiana or a baldachin that was used at the Delhi Durbar in 1911 94 A military band plays in the musicians gallery as award recipients approach the King and receive their honours watched by their families and friends 95 A state banquet in the Ballroom State banquets also take place in the Ballroom these formal dinners are held on the first evening of a state visit by a foreign head of state 95 On these occasions for up to 170 guests in formal white tie and decorations including tiaras the dining table is laid with the Grand Service a collection of silver gilt plate made in 1811 for the Prince of Wales later George IV 96 The largest and most formal reception at Buckingham Palace takes place every November when the King entertains members of the diplomatic corps 97 On this grand occasion all the state rooms are in use as the royal family proceed through them 98 beginning at the great north doors of the Picture Gallery As Nash had envisaged all the large double mirrored doors stand open reflecting the numerous crystal chandeliers and sconces creating a deliberate optical illusion of space and light 99 Smaller ceremonies such as the reception of new ambassadors take place in the 1844 Room Here too the King holds small lunch parties and often meetings of the Privy Council Larger lunch parties often take place in the curved and domed Music Room or the State Dining Room 100 Since the bombing of the palace chapel in World War II royal christenings have sometimes taken place in the Music Room Queen Elizabeth II s first three children were all baptised there 101 On all formal occasions the ceremonies are attended by the Yeomen of the Guard in their historic uniforms and other officers of the court such as the Lord Chamberlain 100 Former ceremonial Edit Court dress Edit President Nixon with members of the royal family in the ground floor Marble Hall Formerly men not wearing military uniform wore knee breeches of 18th century design Women s evening dress included trains and tiaras or feathers in their hair often both The dress code governing formal court uniform and dress has progressively relaxed After the First World War when Queen Mary wished to follow fashion by raising her skirts a few inches from the ground she requested a lady in waiting to shorten her own skirt first to gauge the King s reaction King George V disapproved so the Queen kept her hemline unfashionably low 102 Following his accession in 1936 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth allowed the hemline of daytime skirts to rise Today there is no official dress code 73 Most men invited to Buckingham Palace in the daytime choose to wear service uniform or lounge suits 73 a minority wear morning coats and in the evening depending on the formality of the occasion black tie or white tie 103 Court presentation of debutantes Edit Debutantes were aristocratic young ladies making their first entree into society through a presentation to the monarch at court These occasions known as coming out took place at the palace from the reign of Edward VII The debutantes entered wearing full court dress with three ostrich feathers in their hair curtsied performed a backwards walk and a further curtsey while manoeuvring a dress train of prescribed length The ceremony known as an evening court corresponded to the court drawing rooms of Victoria s reign 104 After World War II the ceremony was replaced by less formal afternoon receptions omitting the requirement of court evening dress 105 In 1958 Queen Elizabeth II abolished the presentation parties for debutantes 106 replacing them with Garden Parties f for up to 8 000 invitees in the Garden They are the largest functions of the year 108 Garden and surroundings EditFurther information Buckingham Palace Garden At the rear of the palace is the large and park like garden which together with its lake is the largest private garden in London 109 There Queen Elizabeth II hosted her annual garden parties each summer and also held large functions to celebrate royal milestones such as jubilees It covers 17 ha 42 acres and includes a helicopter landing area a lake and a tennis court 73 Adjacent to the palace is the Royal Mews also designed by Nash where the royal carriages including the Gold State Coach are housed This rococo gilt coach designed by Sir William Chambers in 1760 has painted panels by G B Cipriani It was first used for the State Opening of Parliament by George III in 1762 and has been used by the monarch for every coronation since George IV It was last used for the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II 110 Also housed in the mews are the coach horses used at royal ceremonial processions 111 The Mall a ceremonial approach route to the palace was designed by Sir Aston Webb and completed in 1911 as part of a grand memorial to Queen Victoria It extends from Admiralty Arch across St James s Park to the Victoria Memorial This route is used by the cavalcades and motorcades of visiting heads of state and by the royal family on state occasions such as the annual Trooping the Colour 112 The lawn and west facade faced in Bath stone of Buckingham PalaceSecurity breaches EditThe boy Jones was an intruder who gained entry to the palace on three occasions between 1838 and 1841 113 114 At least 12 people have managed to gain unauthorised entry into the palace or its grounds since 1914 115 including Michael Fagan who broke into the palace twice in 1982 and entered Queen Elizabeth II s bedroom on the second occasion At the time news media reported that he had a long conversation with her while she waited for security officers to arrive but in a 2012 interview with The Independent Fagan said she ran out of the room and no conversation took place 116 It was only in 2007 that trespassing on the palace grounds became a specific criminal offence 117 g See also Edit United Kingdom portal England portal London portal Architecture portal History portal Monarchy portalFlags at Buckingham Palace List of British royal residences King s GuardNotes Edit By tradition the British Royal Court is officially resident at St James s Palace which means that while foreign ambassadors assuming their new position are received by the British sovereign at Buckingham Palace they are accredited to the Court of St James s Palace This anomaly continues for the sake of tradition as Buckingham Palace is to all intents and purposes the official residence See History of St James s Palace Official website of the British Monarchy The topography of the site and its ownership are dealt with in Wright chapters 1 4 Audley and Davies were key figures in the development of Ebury Manor and also the Grosvenor Estate see dukes of Westminster which still exists today They are remembered in the street names North Audley Street South Audley Street and Davies Street all in Mayfair The purchase price is given by Wright p 142 as 28 000 The tradition persists of foreign ambassadors being formally accredited to the Court of St James s even though it is at Buckingham Palace that they present their credentials and staff to the monarch upon their appointment Princess Margaret is reputed to have remarked of the debutante presentations We had to put a stop to it every tart in London was getting in 107 Under section 128 1 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 A person commits an offence if he enters or is on any designated site in England and Wales or Northern Ireland as a trespasser 118 Buckingham Palace is a designated site under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 Designated Sites under Section 128 Order 2007 119 References Edit Buckingham Collins Dictionary Archived from the original on 4 March 2021 Retrieved 22 May 2021 Buckingham Palace Royal Household 12 November 2015 Archived from the original on 9 May 2016 Retrieved 21 April 2016 Goring p 15 Goring p 28 Goring p 18 Chapter 1 The Acquisition of the Estate The Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair Survey of London Vol 39 London County Council 1977 pp 1 5 Archived from the original on 13 December 2009 Retrieved 3 February 2009 Wright pp 76 78 Goring pp 31 36 Wright p 83 Goring Chapter V a b c Harris p 21 Wright p 96 Goring p 62 Goring p 58 a b Who built Buckingham Palace Royal Collection Trust Archived from the original on 24 June 2017 Retrieved 8 March 2016 Harris p 22 Robinson p 14 Mackenzie p 12 and Nash p 18 Mackenzie p 12 Harris p 24 a b Old and New London Vol 4 Cassell Petter amp Galpin 1878 pp 61 74 Archived from the original on 8 October 2010 Retrieved 3 February 2009 Jones p 42 Burke Edmund ed 1791 The Annual Register p 8 Retrieved 25 September 2016 Buckingham palace was the dwelling house of the king Harris pp 30 31 Harris p 33 The Royal Residences gt Buckingham Palace gt History www royal gov uk Archived from the original on 28 March 2010 Ziegler Philip 1971 King William IV Collins p 280 ISBN 978 0 00 211934 4 The Royal Residences gt Buckingham Palace www royal gov uk Archived from the original on 27 March 2010 Hedley p 10 a b Woodham Smith p 249 a b Rappaport p 84 Harris de Bellaigue amp Miller p 33 Holland amp Hannen and Cubitts The Inception and Development of a Great Building Firm published 1920 p 35 Owens Ed Buckingham Palace s balcony a focal point for national celebration Immediate Media BBC Archived from the original on 22 May 2017 Retrieved 12 June 2017 King p 217 Hedley p 19 Healey pp 137 138 Healey p 122 Who has lived at Buckingham Palace Royal Collection Trust Archived from the original on 23 June 2017 Retrieved 12 June 2017 John Gardiner 2006 The Victorians An Age in Retrospect A amp C Black p 142 ISBN 978 1 85285 560 4 a b c Robinson p 9 Robinson Page 9 asserts that the decorations including plaster swags and other decorative motifs are finicky and at odds with Nash s original detailing Harris p 34 Healey p 185 Buckingham Palace hits right note with jazz fans London Evening Standard 3 August 2009 Archived from the original on 26 April 2010 Retrieved 11 August 2010 Stephen Bates 3 August 2009 By royal approval Buckingham Palace s place in jazz history The Guardian London Archived from the original on 15 July 2014 Retrieved 11 August 2010 Rose Kenneth 1983 King George V London Weidenfeld and Nicolson pp 176 177 ISBN 978 0 297 78245 2 Rose pp 178 179 Healey pp 221 222 Harris p 63 Allison and Riddell p 69 Letter from Queen Elizabeth to Queen Mary describing the bombing of Buckingham Palace 13 September 1940 Royal Collection Trust Archived from the original on 10 April 2016 Retrieved 31 March 2016 Thornton Michael 1984 Royal Feud M Joseph p 216 Davies Caroline 12 September 2009 How the Luftwaffe bombed the palace in the Queen Mother s own words The Guardian Archived from the original on 17 April 2021 Retrieved 10 March 2021 The Sunday Graphic 18 September 1939 p 1 Price Alfred The Battle of Britain Day Greenhill Books London 1990 pp 49 50 and Stephen Bungay The Most Dangerous Enemy A History of the Battle of Britain Aurum Press London 2000 p 325 Pilot who saved Palace honoured BBC News 2 November 2005 Archived from the original on 7 December 2008 Retrieved 18 March 2009 1945 Rejoicing at end of war in Europe 8 May 1945 Retrieved 23 February 2023 Sir Edgar Beck The Telegraph London 9 August 2000 Archived from the original on 11 January 2022 Retrieved 5 June 2012 About the Royal Collection Royal Collection Trust Archived from the original on 20 June 2017 Retrieved 8 March 2016 Historic England Buckingham Palace Grade I 1239087 National Heritage List for England Retrieved 18 November 2016 Windsor Castle five years from disaster to triumph BBC 17 November 1997 Archived from the original on 2 April 2012 Retrieved 8 March 2016 Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 28 September 2017 Full accounts made up to 31 March 2017 Companies House p 3 Archived from the original on 7 February 2018 Retrieved 6 February 2018 Pegg David Evans Rob 2 June 2021 Buckingham Palace banned ethnic minorities from office roles papers reveal the Guardian Archived from the original on 10 March 2022 Retrieved 15 March 2022 a b Vanderhoof Erin 11 June 2021 Why the Scandal Around Buckingham Palace s Racist 1960s Hiring Policy Still Resonates Vanity Fair Archived from the original on 23 October 2021 Retrieved 15 March 2022 House of Commons Treasury Committee 2010 The Management of the Crown Estate Eighth Report of Session 2009 10 Vol 1 Stationery Office p 30 ISBN 9780215553225 Archived from the original on 29 September 2022 Retrieved 6 February 2021 Windsor Castle is an occupied Royal Palace and therefore not part of the Crown Estate Royal Property Parliamentary Debates Hansard Vol 252 United Kingdom House of Commons 16 January 1995 col 301W Archived 25 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine HM Treasury Sovereign Grant Act frequently asked questions relating to the Act and on general issues The National Archives Archived from the original on 29 January 2013 Retrieved 22 May 2016 Bailey Martin 23 March 2017 Emergency repair work to Buckingham Palace s State Dining Room nears completion The Art Newspaper Retrieved 8 March 2021 Gordon Rayner 18 November 2016 Queen to remain in residence as Buckingham Palace gets 369m taxpayer funded facelift to avert catastrophic building failure The Telegraph Archived from the original on 11 January 2022 Retrieved 18 November 2016 Buckingham Palace to get 369m refurbishment BBC News 18 November 2016 Archived from the original on 18 November 2016 Retrieved 18 November 2016 Buckingham Palace repairs funding approved by MPs BBC News 15 March 2017 Archived from the original on 22 November 2018 Retrieved 21 June 2018 a b c d e f g 40 facts about Buckingham Palace British Monarchy website Archived from the original on 4 November 2011 Hill Erin 14 March 2019 Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Have Split Royal Households from Kate Middleton and Prince William People Archived from the original on 2 April 2019 Retrieved 14 March 2019 King Charles III s favourite Buckingham Palace childhood feature he ll be keen to restore HELLO 28 September 2022 Archived from the original on 12 October 2022 Retrieved 12 October 2022 About Buckingham Palace Royal Collection Trust 8 March 2016 Archived from the original on 2 October 2015 Retrieved 8 March 2016 Changing the Guard Royal Collection Trust Archived from the original on 24 June 2017 Retrieved 8 March 2016 Royal Residences Buckingham Palace British Monarchy website 12 November 2015 Archived from the original on 9 May 2016 Retrieved 28 July 2019 Queen honours jeweller with top personal award Times of Tunbridge Wells 6 January 2016 Archived from the original on 1 July 2016 Retrieved 2 June 2016 Packard Jerrold M 1982 The Queen and Her Court A Guide to the British Monarchy Today Simon amp Schuster p 48 ISBN 978 0 684 17648 2 a b Harris p 41 Harris pp 78 79 and Healey pp 387 388 Visit the State Rooms Buckingham Palace Royal Collection Trust Archived from the original on 6 March 2016 Retrieved 7 February 2016 Harris p 40 Harris p 81 a b Harris p 82 Jones p 43 a b Harris de Bellaigue amp Miller p 87 Harris de Bellaigue amp Miller p 135 Healey pp 159 160 Harris de Bellaigue amp Miller p 93 Harris de Bellaigue amp Miller p 91 John Harris Geoffrey De Bellaigue Oliver Millar 1968 Buckingham Palace and its Treasures Viking Press p 90 Harris p 72 a b Healey p 364 Royal seal of approval for state banquet exhibition The Telegraph London 25 July 2008 Archived from the original on 11 January 2022 Retrieved 31 January 2016 Healey p 362 Hedley p 16 Robinson p 18 a b Healey pp 363 365 Robinson p 49 Healey p 233 quoting The Memoirs of Mabell Countess of Airlie edited and arranged by Jennifer Ellis London Hutchinson 1962 Anthony Seldon 1999 10 Downing Street The Illustrated History Harper Collins Illustrated p 202 ISBN 978 0 00 414073 5 Peacocke pp 178 179 244 247 Peacocke pp 264 265 Mailbox Royal Insight Magazine Archived from the original on 23 January 2008 Retrieved 23 January 2008 Blaikie Thomas 2002 You look awfully like the Queen London Harper Collins ISBN 978 0 00 714874 5 Royal Household Garden parties The guests Official Website of the British Monarchy Archived from the original on 17 January 2013 Buckingham Palace Archived from the original on 2 May 2008 Retrieved 3 February 2009 Museum of London Retrieved 2 May 2009 Gold State Coach Royal Collection Trust Inventory no 5000048 The Royal Residences gt The Royal Mews www royal gov uk Archived from the original on 10 July 2009 Nicholson Louise 1998 London London Frances Lincoln p 56 ISBN 978 0 7112 1187 2 Punch Volume 1 July December 1841 Adcock John 5 October 2008 Yesterday s Papers The Boy Jones Yesterday s Papers Retrieved 23 February 2023 Tobey Pam 24 September 2014 Remember the guy who got into the Queen s bedroom The Washington Post Archived from the original on 27 December 2015 Retrieved 21 June 2016 Dugan Emily 19 February 2012 Michael Fagan Her nightie was one of those Liberty prints down to her knees The Independent on Sunday Archived from the original on 8 September 2013 Retrieved 4 January 2014 Trespass law targets royal sites BBC News 24 March 2007 Archived from the original on 21 January 2023 Retrieved 27 February 2016 Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 Legislation gov uk 7 January 2005 Archived from the original on 27 August 2017 Retrieved 11 June 2017 The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 Designated Sites under Section 128 Order 2007 Legislation gov uk 1 June 2007 Archived from the original on 27 August 2017 Retrieved 11 June 2017 Bibliography EditAllison Ronald Riddell Sarah 1991 The Royal Encyclopedia London Macmillan ISBN 0 333 53810 2 Blaikie Thomas 2002 You Look Awfully Like the Queen Wit and Wisdom from the House of Windsor London HarperCollins ISBN 0 00 714874 7 Goring O G 1937 From Goring House to Buckingham Palace London Ivor Nicholson amp Watson Harris John de Bellaigue Geoffrey amp Miller Oliver 1968 Buckingham Palace London Nelson ISBN 0 17 141011 4 Healey Edma 1997 The Queen s House A Social History of Buckingham Palace London Penguin Group ISBN 0 7181 4089 3 Hedley Olwen 1971 The Pictorial History of Buckingham Palace Pitkin ISBN 0 85372 086 X Jones Nigel R 2005 Architecture of England Scotland and Wales Greenwood Publishing Group ISBN 978 0 313 31850 4 King Greg 2007 Twilight of Splendor The Court of Queen Victoria During Her Diamond Jubilee Year John Wiley amp Sons ISBN 978 0 470 04439 1 Mackenzie Compton 1953 The Queen s House London Hutchinson Nash Roy 1980 Buckingham Palace The Place and the People London Macdonald Futura ISBN 0 354 04529 6 Peacocke M D 1951 The Story of Buckingham Palace London Odhams Press Rappaport Helen 2003 Queen Victoria A Biographical Companion ABC CLIO ISBN 978 1 85109 355 7 Robinson John Martin 1999 Buckingham Palace Published by The Royal Collection St James s Palace London ISBN 1 902163 36 2 Williams Neville 1971 Royal Homes The Lutterworth Press ISBN 0 7188 0803 7 Woodham Smith Cecil 1973 Queen Victoria vol 1 Hamish Hamilton Ltd Wright Patricia 1999 first published 1996 The Strange History of Buckingham Palace Stroud Gloucs Sutton Publishing Ltd ISBN 0 7509 1283 9 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Buckingham Palace Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace at the Royal Family website Account of Buckingham Palace with prints of Arlington House and Buckingham House from Old and New London 1878 Account of the acquisition of the Manor of Ebury from Survey of London 1977 The State Rooms Buckingham Palace at the Royal Collection Trust Geographic data related to Buckingham Palace at OpenStreetMap Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Buckingham Palace amp oldid 1144473967, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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