With their foreheads stuck to the bars, visitors admire the limestone facade of Buckingham Palace like an inaccessible treasure. A detour to this gem of the United Kingdom is a must while in London. But Elizabeth II’s house exudes a mysterious aura. Fortunately, tourists will be able to shake off their disappointment from July 22, like every summer for 29 years. The monument will open its doors to the public until October 2, 2022. Visitors will have access to state rooms where official ceremonies and royal receptions are held, including the throne room, the white drawing room, the dining room, the portrait gallery or even the music room.
Porcelain paintings by Rubens and Sèvres
These sumptuously decorated rooms contain exclusive works from the Royal Collection Trust: paintings by Rubens, Vermeer, Poussin, Canaletto and Claude, sculptures by Canova and Chantry, Sèvres porcelain and tapestries. Some of the parks are also accessible during this same period.
The doors of the Royal Palace were first opened to the public on August 7, 1993. The Queen’s guards then saw over 4,000 people pass by. Almost 30,000 francs in revenue are recorded in one day, a financial windfall that will be used to finance repairs to Windsor Castle, which was destroyed by fire last year. The success is such that the operation is repeated. The following year, 420,000 visitors flocked to the Queen’s Den. Since then, every summer, 19 of the 775 rooms in Buckingham Palace are open to visitors, most often when the Queen takes up her summer residence at her residence in Balmoral, Scotland. New this year, in connection with the platinum jubilee, an exhibition dedicated to the sovereign’s accession to the throne will be opened. Official portraits of Elizabeth II taken by photographer Dorothy Wilding will be on display.
Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA, United Kingdom. Open July-August 9:30am-7:30pm (last entry 5:15pm) and September-October 9:30am-6:30pm (last entry 4:15pm). Adults €35, 18-24 €23, 5-17 €19. Information at visitbritain.fr or tel. +44 303 123 7300.
Source: Le Figaro
