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Inside Buckingham Palace: take a behind-the-scenes tour

The State Rooms at Buckingham Palace open to the public each summer. Don’t miss your chance to go behind-the-scenes at the Queen’s London home

Buckingham Palace is a world-famous icon of Great Britain and its monarchy. Throughout its history, it has been a family home, an extravagant architectural project, a bomb target and a backdrop for national celebrations. But for all its splendour, today the Queen is most likely to consider it as her office.

The building of Buckingham Palace

The cumulative creation of architects John Nash, Edward Blore and Sir Aston Webb over more than two centuries, the London landmark is the working headquarters of the monarchy. It’s where the Queen spends most of the week, fulfilling her duties as Head of State, before retreating to Windsor Castle at the weekend.

Many of the 775 rooms of Buckingham Palace are offices for a staff that swells up to 900 in the summer months when the 12ft mahogany double doors of the Grand Entrance are ceremoniously opened to the public. And behind the scenes, those that work there even have access to their own post office and doctor’s surgery.

No doubt many of them affectionately refer to the palace by its nickname ‘Buck House’, a nod to its past as the more humble – but still very fashionable – dwelling of John Sheffield, the 3rd Earl of Mulgrave, who was named Duke of Buckingham in 1703. Built on land leased from the Crown, it was bought back from his son when King George III took a fancy to it as a more homely alternative to the nearby Tudor St James’s Palace.

It remained a residence (known as the Queen’s House), while St James’s was maintained as the official seat of the court – and 14 out of George’s 15 children were born there. But his more extravagant son, who became King George IV, was more concerned by the growing number of foreign visitors and journalists who remarked that it was surprising that the burgeoning capital city of the greatest power in the world didn’t have a proper royal palace.

King George IV and Buckingham Palace

The new king’s lavish spending on extending and modernising the palace – with the help of his Brighton Pavilion architect John Nash – was in sharp contrast to his father’s £73,000 renovation budget. In fact, by the time the king died in 1830, Parliament had had enough and dismissed Nash, even though much of his work was unfinished. Nevertheless, he had succeeded in creating a palace more fitting of Britain’s status in the world.

But his neo-classical creation – which houses the 19 state rooms that still play such an important role in the official ceremonies, events and audiences presided over by the Queen – is now hidden behind the familiar balconied Portland stone facade of the East Wing.

The new wing was built for Queen Victoria, who had fallen in love with the palace that her beloved uncle, King William IV, had completed. She needed more space to make it a home for her rapidly growing family – and while her husband Albert watched over the redecoration of the state rooms, the East Wing was designed by Nash’s replacement, Edward Blore, built by Thomas Cubitt, and finished in 1847. Victoria then lived and entertained happily there until she abandoned the palace – and public life – on Albert’s death in 1861.

Buckingham Palace’s balcony

The finishing touches that created the palace you see today came in 1913. Years of London grime had taken their toll on the soft Caen stone of the original, so Webb and sculptor Thomas Brock were tasked with giving the East Wing a facelift. They also added the imposing columns to the now famous balcony, where King George V and Queen Mary faced crowds on the outbreak of WWI just a year later. Latterly it was where Charles and Diana, then William and Catherine, had their first public kiss.

Visitors don’t have access to the room behind the balcony – it’s still very much the private part of the palace where the Queen has her apartments. But, every summer since 1993, 400,000 visitors get to go inside Buckingham Palace and marvel at the state rooms of the West Wing, view some of the palace’s 20,000 works of art on display, and walk in the footsteps of the great and the good – from Sir Winston Churchill to Nelson Mandela, and Laurence Olivier to Dame Judi Dench.

Buckingham Palace’s Grand Staircase

Beyond the covered carriage entrance, the impact of the Grand Hall is somewhat muted compared to what comes next. More of a functional space, it breaks you in gently to the Belle Epoque cream and gold colour scheme introduced by King Edward VII (his mother had gone for a bolder, Renaissance-inspired polychrome). But your eye is immediately drawn to the Grand Staircase to the left – put in by Queen Victoria in 1898 at the cost of £3,900 (£211,000 in today’s money). Topped with an etched glass dome, and with an emphasis on height and light, ascending it adds to the growing sense of anticipation.

This only builds as you are led through the Guard Chamber and into the Green Drawing Room – given its name by the green silk wallpaper chosen originally by King William IV’s Queen Adelaide, but still replaced every 30 years. But once again, your eyes are drawn upwards to the Nash masterpiece that is the ceiling – something which our Royal Collection guide refers to as an “inverted jewellery box”.

Buckingham Palace’s Throne Room

Yet even this is not as grand as the Throne Room beyond it – created by Nash as a theatre for all the trappings of monarchy, and which is now used as the backdrop for royal wedding photos.

With deep red walls matching the deep red carpets, the focus of the room is the dais at the far end, containing the two royal thrones – with the Queen’s sitting a couple of centimetres taller than Prince Philip’s. There is symbolism everywhere: Nash’s ornate ceiling is dominated by the star of the chivalric Order of the Garter – a common theme in the palace’s décor – but sitting in the centre is the Tudor Rose in honour of the Royal Family, which brought peace to the kingdom after centuries of strife. And off to one side is the throne that belonged to Queen Victoria.

The Throne Room is arguably the most dramatic of the tour, after which visitors can relax a little; just as well, as they move into the 154ft (47m) long picture gallery, which houses an outstanding collection of paintings from the likes of Holbein, Rembrandt, Rubens, Canaletto and Van Dyck. If the rumours are true, the quality of the hangings didn’t deter the young Princes William and Harry from playing football in this room. But equally heartening is the image of a young Queen Elizabeth II practising her walk for her coronation while wearing a crown weighing a staggering 5lb (2.2kg).

Queen Victoria’s most impressive addition to the palace was the Ballroom. Towering 46ft (14m) high and 111ft (34m) long, it was a much more suitable place to entertain than the Throne Room. Nash’s Brighton Pavilion was sold off to pay for it – and its organ takes pride of place at one end of the room, opposite an elegant throne canopy (made by London’s upmarket homeware store Heal’s) at the other.

Today, this room is used for investitures, in which the Queen (or Prince Charles) bestows knighthoods and other honours to deserving subjects, as well as for state banquets attended by up to 160 people.

The State Dining Room, Buckingham Palace

Smaller official dinners are held in the State Dining Room where there is a mahogany table that is so highly polished it doesn’t need a tablecloth. You can almost see the reflection of the ceiling, this time by Blore, completed after Nash’s dismissal, but imitating his style. Blore also designed the heavily gilt picture frames and the most significant contains a large portrait of King George IV, by Sir Thomas Lawrence, surrounded by images of war as a display of his strength and bravery – even though he never went to war.

It’s from the dining room that you get the first glimpses of the largest private garden in London, which is the setting for three official garden parties each July. But there are still three more rooms to appreciate in all their glory before visitors descend back down to it: the Blue Drawing Room, the Music Room and the White Drawing Room.

Blue Drawing Room

The highlight of the Blue Drawing Room is the Sèvres porcelain Table of the Grand Commanders, as seen in King George IV’s dining room portrait – commissioned by Napoleon and given to George by Louis XVIII.

Nash’s acoustically domed ceiling once again takes centre stage in the Music Room. Looking up at it, our guide aptly remarks: “This is what Alice in Wonderland must have felt like when the cards fell down around her.” She also likens the chandeliers – the only two in the palace that can be lowered by remote control – to water falling over rocks.

The Music Room has hosted several royal christenings, including those of the Queen’s eldest three children and Prince William. The golden font used (originally a gift to Queen Victoria) is on occasion displayed to the public. Otherwise it is used for private recitals and receptions, and the piano has been played by the likes of Sir Elton John. There’s also a small golden-cased piano in the White Drawing Room next door, on which Victoria was taught to play by composer Felix Mendelssohn.

The Drawing Room, Buckingham Palace

This final drawing room is the most elegant; smaller and more intimate. It’s here that the Queen has weekly meetings with the Prime Minister and welcomes foreign visitors. The room also has a secret door built into an ebony-veneered cabinet beneath tall mirrors, providing the Royal Family with a discreet means of entering the state rooms from the private rooms beyond.

As you would expect from the formality of the state rooms, every event is stage-managed; procedures have been fine-tuned over the centuries and it all appears to run like clockwork. But, as you wander through the rooms, it’s also worth sparing a thought for the two palace timekeepers – nicknamed ‘Tick’ and ‘Tock’ – who are responsible for its 350 clocks, each of which has different workings and different schedules for their upkeep.

And what about those in charge of the countless chandeliers, which each have to be cleaned once a year, or the 760 windows that have to be cleaned every six weeks? Just as it is for the Queen, it’s all in a day’s work.

This year you can book a tour and go inside Buckingham Palace from 21 July 2018-30 September 2018.

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Where Did Queen Elizabeth Live?

Over the years you may have heard the names of numerous castles associated with the Queen of England, but where did Queen Elizabeth live her day to day life? From her crowning in 1953 until the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, Buckingham Palace in London served as her main residence. At that point, she decamped for Windsor Castle, and while this was supposed to be temporary, she never stayed the night at Buckingham Palace again before her death on September 8, 2022.

Throughout her reign, the monarch also spent time at her two privately owned homes, Sandringham and Balmoral , the latter of which is where she spent her final days on earth.

Here, AD rounds up the stunning, historically significant living quarters of the late Queen as well as King Charles III, Prince William, and the rest of the royal family, from lesser-known private houses to the most famous of Crown-owned castles.

Queen Elizabeth II  

Buckingham Palace welcomes an estimated 15 million tourists per year and was also a private residence for Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth II had several lavish residences that she retreated to at different points throughout the year. Up until her husband Prince Philip’s passing in April 2021 , the monarch primarily lived in private quarters at the famous 775-room Buckingham Palace in London during the week. During her time there, she added the Queen’s Gallery, where objects from the Royal Collection are regularly displayed for visitors to see. She also set into motion an extensive renovation which is expected to be done in 2027 and will cost an estimated $500 million.

The inner courtyard of Windsor Castle.

In her final years, partly due to the pandemic, she spent a lot of her time at Windsor Castle, where the Duke of Edinburgh died and is buried. Prior to the pandemic, she and her late husband of 73 years enjoyed weekends, and a month around Easter, at the castle, which has been a royal home for more than 900 years. Spanning more than 13 acres with over 1,000 rooms, the property is the largest occupied castle in the world.

Balmoral Castle.

The queen spent a portion of her summer at Balmoral Castle in Scotland each year. The private residence, originally purchased for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert (Queen Elizabeth II’s great-great-grandparents), reportedly sits on 50,000 acres with 150 total buildings. While the home remains largely the same as it did in Victoria’s possession, Elizabeth made slight renovations. This property was said to be her favorite, and it is where she died peacefully. 

In a 2016 documentary, her granddaughter Princess Eugenie said it best: “I think Granny is the most happy there. I think she really, really loves the Highlands. Walks, picnics, dogs—a lot of dogs, there's always dogs. And people coming in and out all the time.”

Holyrood Palace is located in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Also in Scotland is the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where the queen stayed during the start of each summer for Royal Week. It was built as a monastery in 1128, and renovations in the 1670s contributed to the successful maintenance of the palace today, largely thanks to King Charles II, who built the upper floor where the royal family’s private apartments are now situated.

The Sandringham Estate boasts 52 bedrooms for the royal family and guests, plus 188 staff bedrooms.

At Christmastime, the queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, and other members of the royal family famously headed to Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, which Elizabeth inherited from her father, George VI.

Hillsborough Castle is located in Northern Ireland.

Finally, when the queen traveled to Northern Ireland , she resided at Hillsborough Castle, which was built in the 1770s and is surrounded by 100 acres of greenery.

Prince William and Duchess Kate

Though members of the royal family live at Kensington Palace, other areas of the property are open to the public.

William and Kate welcoming the Obamas to their Kensington Palace apartment in 2016.

Barack Obama, Prince William, Prince Harry, Michelle Obama, and Duchess Kate sitting together in a reception room at Kensington Palace.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, primarily resided in Kensington Palace Apartment 1A until 2022, when they moved to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor in order to give the kids more space and freedom.

The family will still maintain their London digs, however, and according to  Vogue , the 20-room, four-story Kensington apartment underwent a $1.6 million renovation prior to the pair’s 2013 move-in. An additional $4.9 million revamp took place the following year, the palace confirmed to  People  at the time. While William and Kate keep the general details of their home private, the world got a glimpse of one of the reception rooms in 2016, following a visit from Barack and Michelle Obama. In the photos, the group sits in a stunning neutral-colored room featuring floral pillows and an abundance of lamps. While it’s no shock that the couple has great taste when it comes to decor, many were surprised to learn that they chose to adorn their children’s rooms with IKEA furniture.

As for their new pad, Adelaide Cottage is located on the grounds of Windsor Home Park. With just four bedrooms, it is smaller than their Kensington apartment, but boasts historic charm. Built in 1831 by architect and garden designer Sir Jeffry Wyatville, it was once described by The Mirror as having the “quaint elegance of the embellished order of domestic architecture in the Old English school.”

Anmer Hall, on the Sandringham Estate, is a country escape for Prince William and his family.

The family also spends part of their time at Norfolk’s Anmer Hall on Sandringham Estate. The newly refurbished 10-bedroom country home was given to William and Kate as a wedding present from the queen when they tied the knot in 2011.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Frogmore Cottage is located on the Frogmore Estate, near Windsor Castle.

Following their engagement announcement in 2017, the former Suits star moved into Prince Harry’s home, Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex remained in the 1,300-square-foot two-bedroom home (once inhabited by William and Kate) until shortly before the 2019 birth of their son, Archie. When it came time to relocate, the pair decided to head back to the site of their wedding, Windsor Castle, and live on the grounds’ Frogmore Cottage . The home, which was a wedding gift from the queen, wasn’t quite ready for the family of three, and turning the five-unit property into a single-family house required a renovation that cost more than $3 million. According to  The Cut , the cottage, originally constructed in the 1800s, now has 10 bedrooms, a nursery, a gym, and a yoga studio. While the renovation was paid for with public funds, the couple purchased their own furniture and decor out of pocket. As they waited for the renovations to be complete, the pair also reportedly rented a temporary home on the Great Tew Estate in the Cotswolds.

Then, in early 2020, Harry and Meghan made the shocking decision to step back as senior royal members and move across the pond. After a brief stint in Canada and then Los Angeles, the pair—who are also parents to daughter Lilibet “Lili” Diana—ultimately settled in a $14.7 million estate in the upscale enclave of Montecito, California. The couple paid back the $3 million spent to renovate Frogmore Cottage, though they are still able to use the home when they visit the U.K. (In fact, they returned for the first time in June, when they returned to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and hosted a first birthday party for Lilibet in the garden.) 

As the couple has navigated post-royal life—doing various charity initiatives, signing a deal with Netflix, and Meghan launching a new podcast—the public has gotten small glimpses of their Montecito home , where the decor is a far cry from the gilded furnishings of most of the palaces. During their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March of 2021, they showed off their backyard chicken coop. Months later, in a video for a charitable initiative announced around Meghan’s 40th birthday, the Duchess showed off her California cool office , accessorized with crystals and white roses. 

King Charles III and the Queen Consort, Camilla

Clarence House is located in central London.

King Charles III and the Queen Consort, Camilla, have mainly resided at Clarence House in London since their wedding in 2005. The property, built between 1825 and 1827, was once home to Charles’s grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (affectionately known as the Queen Mum). Prior to the couple moving in, the home underwent extensive renovations and was refurbished with new artwork, textiles, and a new color scheme. No announcements have yet been made about whether the new king and queen will change their living arrangements in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.

“One of my great joys is to see the pleasure that the garden can bring to many of the visitors and that everybody seems to find some part of it that is special to them," King Charles III has said of the gardens at Highgrove House.

The pair call Highgrove House in Gloucestershire their second home. The now-king has owned this house since 1980, and he previously spent weekends there with his first wife, the late Princess Diana , and their children, Princes William and Harry. Today, Charles enjoys tending to the gardens at the home and makes his concern for the environment apparent by using energy-saving lightbulbs and solar lights on the property and instructing the staff to compost kitchen waste. 

Like his mother, Charles enjoys spending his holidays on the Balmoral estate where he stays with Camilla at his private 53,000-acre cottage called Birkhall. Following the Queen Mother’s death in 2002, Charles inherited the property and even spent his honeymoon with Camilla there.

Additionally, Charles owns a country home in Llwynywermod, Wales, which he bought in 2007, and Tamarisk House, which is located in the Isles of Scilly.

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie

St James’s Palace was built between 1531 and 1536 by King Henry VIII.

The daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson lived together in an apartment at St. James’s Palace in London for 10 years. Because the two are not considered “working royals,” their father paid for the cost of the apartment, which came out to about $26,000 annually, according to Insider . In 2018, Eugenie married Jack Brooksbank, and the couple moved into their first home together, the three-bedroom Ivy Cottage at Kensington Palace. (According to House Beautiful , the residence underwent a $15 million renovation in 2012.) At the end of 2020, while awaiting the birth of their first child, a son named August, the pair reportedly briefly lived in Harry and Meghan’s U.K. home, Frogmore Cottage. As of January 2021, the new parents were said to be residing at The Royal Lodge in Windsor, which is the official country residence of Eugenie’s parents.

Beatrice, meanwhile, reportedly still lives in St. James with her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi , who she married in July 2020, and their daughter, Sienna, whom they welcomed in September of 2021.

Princess Anne

In addition to maintaining a London residence at St. James’s Palace, the Princess Royal spends most of her time at Gatcombe Park , the Gloucestershire estate her mother purchased for her in 1976. The grounds are host to the annual Festival of British Eventing, as well as a handful of other smaller equestrian events. Anne’s daughter Zara also maintains a home on the property with her husband, Mike Tindall.

Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex

For more than two decades, Bagshot Park in Surrey has been the primary home of the Earl and Countess of Wessex. Before moving into the brick mansion with 120 rooms, Edward (the youngest son of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II) and the Crown Estate reportedly spent more than $3 million on renovations.

Peek Inside Queen Elizabeth's Summer House as Buckingham Palace Opens for Picnics

Visitors can view plants named after members of the royal family, trees planted by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and there is even a wicker corgi.

Starting tomorrow, the Buckingham Palace garden will be open to visitors who will be able to roam freely through parts of it and learn the stories of its creation through guided tours of other areas. Features include a rose garden with 25 beds of roses, an island on the 3.5 acre lake housing beehives, two huge London plane trees planted side by side by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and even a wicker corgi looking out from the Queen’s summer house.

“This is always going to be a unique ecosystem right in the heart of London,” a Royal Collection Trust guide said today while sharing some of the secrets of how the garden has evolved over the decades. While the lawn is the best-trodden area thanks to the annual garden parties hosted at the palace for 8,000 guests each time, there are plenty of surprises to be found when wandering into more secluded areas.

Many sections of the garden have sentimental meaning for both the royal family and the people who have worked there. The deep pink Royal William rose was planted to mark the birth of Prince William and the pale pink Elizabeth Glamis Rose honors the Queen Mother. A primrose-yellow Magnolia tree called Elizabeth which was given to the Queen in 1962 from the Brooklyn Botanical Garden in New York is also planted in the garden. There is Dick’s Plane tree, named after a former gardener called Richard, and when a new species of skuttle fly was discovered in the garden in 2001, it was named after head gardener Mark Lane.

In order to protect the existing plants, new plants must quarantine before being introduced to the garden. However, being royal does not provide immunity, and in 2018, a horse chestnut tree that had particular sentimental value to the Queen was eventually let go after being afflicted with various different diseases. The tree had been planted by the Queen’s father in 1914 before she was born, when he was the Duke of York. “Her Majesty requested that the gardeners do what they can to protect this tree, of course it is a very sentimental tree,” a Royal Collection Trust guide said. However, despite their best efforts, in the end the gardeners had to let the tree go.

The garden currently has more than 1,000 trees as well as a 156-meter herbaceous border, and since 2000, it has held the National Collection of Mulberries. One section is called the North American beds and contains species of North American plants rarely found in British gardens.

Visitors can also see the garden’s ornaments including the 18-foot-tall Waterloo Vase which was commissioned by Napoleon on anticipation of success at the 1815 Battle of Waterloo, but after his defeat was presented to the future King George IV. And in 1991, a recycling center was established in the garden at the Queen’s request, which recycles 99% of all the waste from London’s royal gardens.

The Garden at Buckingham Palace will be open from Friday, July 9 to Sunday, September 19 2021, five days a week, remaining closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Tickets are priced at £16.50 for adults. Garden Highlights Guided Tours should be booked with the main ticket and are priced at £6.50 for adults. Tours will run 12 times a day. Pre-booking is essential. For more information and to purchase tickets, head to www.rct.uk .

Town & Country Contributing Editor Victoria Murphy has reported on the British Royal Family since 2010. She has interviewed Prince Harry and has travelled the world covering several royal tours. She is a frequent contributor to Good Morning America. Victoria authored Town & Country book The Queen: A Life in Pictures , released in 2021. 

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You can take a free virtual tour of Windsor Castle, the largest occupied castle in the world where the Queen is spending her 94th birthday

• You can take a free virtual tour of Windsor Castle, where the Queen is spending her official birthday on Saturday, June 13.
• The Queen's usual birthday plans, including the Trooping the Colour parade and the traditional gun salute at Buckingham Palace, have been canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• However, Buckingham Palace recently announced that Her Majesty still plans to celebrate by watching a smaller military ceremony at Windsor Castle this weekend.
• The Windsor Castle tour shows a panoramic view of the Waterloo Chamber, Crimson Drawing Room, and St George's Hall — all of which are usually included in the £23.50 ($28.89) admission price when visiting the castle.
• Insider has gathered the best images and facts included in the tour, which you can watch now on Windsor Castle's website.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories .

Windsor Castle has been a royal residence for more than 900 years and is currently the largest occupied castle in the world. The virtual tour starts with the castle's Waterloo Chamber.

The room is mainly used for private investitures, however, it is available for members of the public to view when they visit the castle.

It's filled with paintings of historical figures and nobility by artist Sir Thomas Lawrence, including the portraits of the Duke of Wellington, Pope Pius VII, and Charles, Archduke of Austria.

Next up is the Crimson Drawing Room, a room used by the Queen to host private events. Like the Waterloo Chamber, this room is also available to the public for part of the year.

The drawing room appeals to visitors with its striking red decor and its stunning view of the nearby Berkshire countryside.

The room was refurbished after being devastated by a fire in 1992.

The final room on the tour is St George's Hall, where Her Majesty hosts state banquets for international visitors.

The dining items on the table were created for George IV in 1806, however, they have never been replaced and are still used to this day by our current monarch.

Source: Windsor Castle

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Skip zion's angels landing for these 7 underrated canyon hikes, 7 colorado towns with the best quality of life in the rockies, quick links, what to know about the royal residences of the united kingdom, buckingham palace - the official royal residence of london, windsor castle - the official royal country residence, palace of holyroodhouse - the official royal scottish residence.

Following the passing of the beloved long-reigning Queen Elizabeth II, there is likely to be renewed interest in the Royal Family and Royal residences of Great Britain. There are a large number of palaces, castles, and houses occupied by the Royal Family around the United Kingdom and many of them are open to the public.

Queen Elizabeth II was Britain's longest reigning monarch in history and was the first to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee just earlier this year . She was perhaps the most loved and respected monarch of modern times and will be sorely missed. Later, King Charles will be officially coronated as King Charles III and Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and more will proclaim "Long Live The King, God Save The King."

Prospective visitors should note that following the death of Queen Elizabeth II and with the coronation of King Charles III coming up, many of these residences are closed to the public until further notice.

Anyone planning to visit any of the Royal residences should check their websites or the Royal Collection Trust for current opening information.

Perhaps the most famous Royal residences are Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland. These are also the three official residences of the reigning monarch (formerly the Queen and now King Charles III).

• Official Residences: Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Palace of Holyroodhouse

While they are the official residences, they are far from the only Royal residences. For example, Balmoral Castle is not an official Royal residence but is where the Queen was residing and passed away in September 2022.

It is not possible to list out all the Royal residences open to the public in this article — there are 12 residences open to the public in London alone (some of which are former Royal residences).

This article will only discuss the three official residences. Other notable residences include Balmoral Castle, Sandringham House, Palace of Westminster, and Hillsborough Castle.

Buckingham Palace is perhaps the most famous and most visited of all the British palaces . It is here that everyone flocks to see the iconic Changing of the Guard.

Buckingham Palace has been the official monarch's London residence since 1837. It is used for many official events and receptions held. The State Rooms at Buckingham Palace are open to the public every summer.

• Rooms: 775 Rooms (19 State Rooms, 52 Royal & Guest Bedrooms)
• Famous For: The Changing Of The King's Guard (Formerly Queen's Guard)

Even though Buckingham Palace may be closed to the public due to the death of the sovereign, it may be viewed from outside for free.

Windsor Castle is located just out of London and is easy to visit on a day trip from London and is reachable by train.

Windsor Castle is the longest-occupied Royal palace having had a castle there since William the Conquerer around 1,000 years ago. It has been continuously used by the English (later British) monarchy since King Henry 1 in the 1100s.

• Largest: It Is The Largest Occupied Castle In The World
• Longest: Occupied Royal Palace

Ordinarily, it is also open to the public and visitors are welcome to visit much of the complex. It is normally open from Thursdays to Mondays (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays).

The admission price is £23.50 ($32) per person.

Related: Westminster Abbey: Why Visiting Is A Must For History Buffs

As it is an official residence, the iconic King's (Queen's) Guard is also stationed there with their iconic red tunics and their bearskin tall fur caps.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse is located in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh at the opposite end of Edinburgh Castle. It has been the main royal residence in Scotland since the 16th century.

The 16th century dates back to the times of the Scottish Kings and Queens (predating the Union of the Scottish and English crowns in 1603).

Related: Visit Windsor Castle: The Longest Occupied Royal Palace

Ordinarily visitors can visit the Palace of Holyroodhouse and explore the 14 magnificent historic and State Apartments, the ancient ruins of the 12th-century Holyrood Abbey, and the royal gardens. The palace is famous for Mary, Queen of Scots and her short reign.

The palace is normally closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays but is open on other days. The admission fee is £18.50 ($21.50) per adult.

The Queen of travel

Queen Elizabeth II 1926 - 2022

Queen Elizabeth II leaves Fiji during a royal tour in February 1977. Serge Lemoine/Getty Images

The Queen of travel Journeys of a lifetime

By Francesca Street and Mark Oliver, CNN September 13, 2022

S he was traveling the moment she ascended to the throne, and for much of the next seven decades, Queen Elizabeth II criss-crossed the world. Newly married and still just a princess, Britain’s future monarch was in Kenya with husband Prince Philip in February 1952 when she learned of her father’s death and her new regal status.

During her reign she would visit more than 120 countries, witnessing first-hand the revolutions in global travel that shrank the world as her own influence over it diminished.

The Queen lived through the advent of the Jet Age, flew supersonic on the Concorde, saw regimes change, countries form and dissolve, the end of the British Empire and the rise of globalization.

Here are some of the most memorable travel moments from her 70 years as monarch.

November 24-25, 1953

Less than six months after she was crowned at Westminster Abbey in London, Queen Elizabeth set off on her travels again. Her debut official state trip was an epic six-month tour of the Commonwealth -- the alliance of nations which were once British colonies. Traveling by air, sea and land she visited several countries, accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. First stop was the North Atlantic island of Bermuda, a British territory she would visit a further four times during her reign. The trip would go on to include stops in Jamaica, Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, Cocos Islands, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Aden (now part of Yemen), Uganda, Malta and Gibraltar.

December 19-20, 1953

At Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in June 1953, Queen Salote Tupou III of the Polynesian kingdom of Tonga won over the British public when she sat, rain-soaked, in her open carriage. They also took an interest when Elizabeth returned the visit later in the year. The two queens enjoyed an open-air feast, watched Tongan dancers and admired a tortoise that legend said was presented by explorer Captain James Cook to the King of Tonga in 1777.

December 23, 1953 – January 30, 1954

New zealand.

The Queen voyaged to New Zealand during the Antipodean summer of 1953-4. Over the course of the trip, it’s estimated that three out of every four New Zealanders got a glimpse of her. In preparation for the Queen’s visit, some New Zealand sheep were dyed in the UK flag colors of red, white and blue. The Queen returned to the country nine times over the years, including in 2002 as she marked half a century on the throne.

April 10-21, 1954

Ceylon (now sri lanka).

A visit to Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, coincided with the Queen’s 28th birthday. She visited the city of Colombo where crowds joined together to sing her “Happy Birthday.” She also visited the central city of Kandy, where she watched a procession featuring a reported 140 elephants and met local chiefs.

April 8-11, 1957

The Queen had visited France as a young princess, but her first state visit as monarch was a glamorous affair. She attended the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris, visited the Palace of Versailles, and dined at the Louvre with then-President Rene Coty. The Queen also laid a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe and visited the Scottish Church of Paris.

October 17-20, 1957

United states.

Having met President Harry S. Truman in Washington in 1951 during a visit before ascending to the throne, Elizabeth was no stranger to America when she arrived on her first trip as Queen. Her 1957 visit marked the 350th anniversary of the first permanent British settlement on the continent, in Jamestown. The monarch attended a college football game at the former Byrd Stadium in Maryland where she watched the home team lose to North Carolina. She met with President Dwight D. Eisenhower in the White House and later traveled to New York, where she and Prince Philip drove through the streets and admired panoramic views of the city from the Empire State Building.

February 1-16, 1961

The Queen and Prince Philip visited Pakistan in 1961, arriving in the port city of Karachi after completing a visit to India as part of a wider tour of South Asia. She drove through the streets of Karachi in an open-top car, before going on to visit Lahore, where a torchlight military tattoo took place in her honor and Prince Philip played in a game of polo.

February 26 to March 1, 1961

In Nepal, the Queen inspected troops in Kathmandu and met Gurkha ex-servicemen in Pokhara. The monarch rode on an elephant and visited the Hanuman Dhoka Palace complex in Kathmandu. She took part in the rather grim spectacle of a tiger hunt although didn’t shoot any animals herself. She instead recorded the experience on cine camera – a recording device that she often carried with her on her earlier foreign trips.

March 2-6, 1961

The Queen visited pre-revolution Iran at the end of her 1961 South Asian tour. Hosted by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, she toured ancient monuments including the ruins of Persepolis, once a capital of the Achaemenid Empire, later declared a World Heritage Site. She also saw Sheikh Lotfollah mosque in Esfahan and admired collections of the Archaeological Museum of Iran.

May 5, 1961

Vatican city.

In 1961, Elizabeth became the first British monarch to visit the Vatican. Dressed all in black, the Queen had an audience with Pope John XXIII, also attended by Prince Philip. She returned to the Vatican three more times during her reign, meeting Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis.

November 9-20, 1961

Bombing incidents in the capital Accra left officials worried about the safety of the Queen’s visit to Ghana but, after deliberation, UK Prime Minister Harold Macmillan confirmed it would go ahead. During the trip, the Queen famously shared a dance with Ghana’s then-president, Kwame Nkrumah. At the height of Cold War uncertainty, this seemingly innocuous moment was seen as significant in ensuring Ghana remained affiliated to Britain and not the USSR.

May 18-28, 1965

West germany (now germany).

The Queen’s visit to West Germany and West Berlin was viewed as a symbolic gesture of goodwill in the post-World War II landscape. It was the first royal trip to German territory for more than 50 years and photographs such as one of the Queen and Prince Philip in a car driving past the Brandenburg Gate had symbolic resonance.

November 5-11, 1968

Queen Elizabeth became the first reigning British monarch to visit South America when she landed in Brazil in late 1968. During the trip, the Queen wore a striking jewelry set made of Brazilian aquamarine, gifted to her in 1953 by the Brazilian president and added to over time. The monarch also attended a football match between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, and presented the winner’s trophy to Brazilian footballer Pele.

October 18-25, 1971

On the first of two trips to Turkey -- the second took place in 2008 -- the Queen visited the Gallipoli peninsula to remember the Allied soldiers who died there during World War I. The monarch also explored the ruins of the ancient Greek empire city of Ephesus. A media highlight of the visit came when she was photographed leaping ashore from a barge, after disembarking from her ship, the Royal Yacht Britannia.

February 10-15, 1972

Accompanied by Prince Philip and daughter Princess Anne, the Queen was greeted on arrival in Bangkok by a carpet of flower petals. The monarch was given a golden key to the city of Bangkok, attended a state banquet and visited Bang Pa-In Palace, the Thai royal family’s summer residence, north of the capital.

October 17-21, 1972

The Queen’s visit to Yugoslavia was her first trip to a communist country. The Central European country no longer exists -- the areas that the Queen visited are now part of Croatia. During her trip, she met Yugoslav political leader Josip Broz Tito and traveled on his famous Blue Train.

February 15-16, 1974

New hebrides (now vanuatu).

The Queen and Prince Philip visited the Pacific island archipelago of Vanuatu, then known as the New Hebrides, in 1974. It’s said the royal couple’s visit to Vanuatu may have strengthened the belief among some locals on Tanna island that the Duke of Edinburgh was a divine being.

February 24-March 1, 1975

On her first of two visits to Mexico, the Queen toured ancient sites -- including the pyramids of Uxmal, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The monarch also received local crafts, met school children and attended a banquet. While she was driven through Mexico City, the Queen was showered in confetti.

February 17-20, 1979

Saudi arabia.

In 1979, the Queen became the first female head of state to visit Saudi Arabia, on a tour of Gulf States. At Riyadh Airport, she was met by King Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, pictured. The outfits she wore on the trip were carefully designed in accordance with Saudi Arabia’s conservative dress code for women. The Queen arrived on a British Airways supersonic Concorde aircraft and during the visit attended camel races and toured the National Museum.

October 26-27, 1982

The Queen visited Tuvalu, a group of nine islands in the South Pacific, in 1982. Upon arrival, the Queen and Prince Philip were carried in a flower-filled canoe from sea to shore. Thirty years later, in 2012, Prince William visited Tuvalu with his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, who drank a coconut from a tree planted by Queen Elizabeth on this 1982 visit.

February 26 – March 6, 1983

On a star-studded trip to the United States, the Queen toured the 20th Century-Fox studios in Hollywood with then-First Lady Nancy Reagan and met Frank Sinatra, who she’d previously met in the 1950s, at a party given in her honor. The Queen and Prince Philip also visited Yosemite National Park in California, pictured.

November 10-14, 1983

The Queen returned to Kenya in 1983 for a state visit. When she was there 31 years previously, she'd learned that her father had passed away and she had become Britain’s reigning monarch. In 1983, the Queen and Prince Philip revisited the Treetops hotel, pictured, where they were staying at the time she was told the news.

October 12-18, 1986

The Queen’s trip to China was the first -- and, so far, only -- state visit by a British monarch to China. With Prince Philip by her side, the Queen visited the Great Wall of China, pictured, as well as the Forbidden City in Beijing.

October 17-20, 1994

In 1994, in another royal first, the Queen visited Russia. Over the three-day trip, the Queen met Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov, pictured here with the monarch outside St Basil’s Cathedral, as well as Russian President Boris Yeltsin. The Queen also attended the Bolshoi Ballet. In her traditional Christmas Day speech broadcast later that year, the Queen reflected on how times had changed, noting she “never thought it would be possible in [her] lifetime” to attend a service in Moscow’s famous cathedral.

March 19-25, 1995

South africa.

In 1994, after apartheid ended, South Africa rejoined the Commonwealth as a republic. The following year, the Queen traveled there, in a visit designed to renew ties between the two countries. The Queen met with President Nelson Mandela, pictured, and presented him with the Order of Merit.

October 12-18, 1997

The Queen visited India for the third time in 1997, her first public engagement since Princess Diana’s funeral just weeks before. The trip marked 50 years since India’s independence from Britain. Most memorably, the monarch visited the site of the Amritsar massacre, also known as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, of April 13, 1919. She also expressed regret at a state banquet in New Delhi for the “distressing” episode in which British soldiers gunned down hundreds of unarmed civilians. The gesture was seen by some as inadequate. “The Queen is doing everything she can to make India like her. But so far it does not seem to be working,” wrote the UK’s Independent newspaper at the time.

October 4-15, 2002

The Queen visited Canada many times. In 2002, her trip to the North American country coincided with her Golden Jubilee festivities, celebrating 50 years of her reign. During the trip, the Queen attended an ice hockey game between the Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks, and dropped the ceremonial puck.

March 11-16, 2006

The Queen visited Australia 16 times as Head of State. In 2006, she traveled to Melbourne to open the Commonwealth Games. She was greeted by a welcoming party in Canberra, visited the Sydney Opera House, attended a Commonwealth Day service in St. Andrew’s Cathedral and toured Admiralty House, the Sydney residence of the Governor-General of Australia.

May 17-20, 2011

The Queen’s trip to Dublin was the first time a British monarch had set foot in the Irish Republic since its 1922 independence. At Dublin Castle the Queen delivered a well-received speech on the history of Anglo-Irish relations. In County Tipperary, she also toured the medieval Rock of Cashel, pictured, once a seat of power for Ireland’s ancient kings.

November 26-28, 2015

From 1949 to 1951, before she was Queen, Elizabeth and Prince Philip lived in Malta. In 2015, the monarch paid her last visit to the island, touring the Grand Harbour in a Maltese fishing boat and waving to members of the British Royal Navy.

United Kingdom

In the later years of her reign, the Queen cut back on foreign travel, passing on the mantle to the younger royals. In more recent years, royal tours have also been looked at with more skeptical eyes, as Britain reckons with its colonial past.

While she didn't travel abroad in the later years of her reign, the Queen continued to vacation in the UK. Most notably, the Queen’s ties with Scotland remained strong throughout her reign and her residence there, Balmoral Castle, was a favorite refuge. It was at Balmoral that the Queen died on September 8, 2022.

Guide To The Magnificent Hatfield House, Day Trip From London

If you’re a Tudorphile, Hatfield House is a must see site in London, both for its charm and its royal connections. Fans of Queen Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, will be especially enchanted by the early 17th century Jacobean palace.

For over 400 years, the magnificent country estate has been home to the Cecils, one of England’s most politically influential families.

Hatfield was built between 1607-11 for Robert Cecil, first Earl of Salisbury and Secretary of State to both Elizabeth I and James I.

Elizabeth spent much of her childhood in Hatfield’s “Old Palace.” Some of her most famous portraits adorn the tapestry-strewn walls of the newer (but still old) mansion.

Hatfield is so elegant that it’s been a filming location for many films. Most recently in The Favourite , a darkly comic period piece about the life of the ailing Queen Anne.

Let’s explore this famous English landmark. In this guide, I give you an overview of Hatfield House and tell you everything to see inside.

Hatfield House & Queen Elizabeth I

Elizabeth was raised in the “Old Palace” of Hatfield House, along with her brother Edward VI and sister Mary. In 1533, she arrived as a 3 month old princess. She reportedly had a relatively happy childhood there.

At least before she was put under house arrest. Mary and Elizabeth were enemies, with a dysfunctional family and high drama.

Mary’s mother was Henry VIII’s first wife Katherine of Aragon and Elizabeth’s mother was Henry VIII’s second wife Anne Boleyn.

Henry broke with the Catholic church and formed a new religion to marry Anne. But when she didn’t produce a male heir, Anne was beheaded on the Tower of London green.

Thereafter, Elizabeth’s existence was dizzyingly crazy. In rapid succession, she went from heiress, to bastard, to suspected traitor, to prisoner, to queen.

It was at Hatfield that Elizabeth learned of the death of her sister Queen Mary and her own ascension to the throne as the only heir.

Elizabeth would return to Hatfield often during her reign. The palace was essentially a cradle of the Elizabethan Age.

Elizabeth would go on to become a peacemaker and the famous Virgin Queen.

Her love life is still a source of intense speculation and gossip. There was a certain Robert Dudley (and others) in the mix, who rendered her prized virginity rather questionable.

On the other hand, Elizabeth may have just satisfied herself with flirting with handsome young courtiers and/or didn’t want the shackles of marriage.

Elizabeth was succeeded by James I. James didn’t much cotton to an aging Hatfield House.

He wanted to be rid of it. In 1607, Cecil’s son agreed to swap his family home for the Hatfield House owned by James.

After his acquisition, in 1611, Cecil promptly built an entirely new mansion on the former property, .5 mile from the Old Palace.

Hatfield was so lavish that it was known as a “prodigy house” — a house built to showcase wealth and power.

Guide To Hatfield House: What To See

The historical English landmark is awash with famous paintings, tapestries, period furnishings, and armor. It’s a sight to behold if you’re a fan of English history.

Here’s everything you can see on a visit.

1. The Marble Hall

When you enter the landmark, you step through a an elegant stone porch and vestibule. Then, you’re in the Marble Hall. It’s impressive — 30 feet wide, 50 feet high, and 2 stories high.

It has a black and white checkered floor. The ceiling featured carved and gilded wood.

The hall boasts some fabulous paintings. Above the fireplace, there are three paintings. On the left is Mary Queen of Scots. One the right is James I.

In the middle is a curious white horse. This was the horse ridden by Elizabeth when she addressed her troops before the defeat of the Spanish Armada.

The best portrait is on the far side of the room. It’s the famous Rainbow Portrait of Elizabeth. In it, she’s a dazzling Sun Queen at the height of her powers.

Elizabeth is shown in a sumptuous orange silk gown, embroidered all over with eyes and ears. The rather peculiar motif represents her ability to know and see all in her court, thereby discouraging plotting. Her glowing red hair is decorated with white pearls, a sign of her purity.

Oliver painted this portrait in the last year of Elizabeth’s reign, when she was 70. Suffice it to say, flattery and an image of immortality substituted for any semblance of realism.

England was, apparently, well behind the rest of Europe, which by then expected an actual likeness.

2. King James Drawing Room

The King James Drawing Room is the principal reception room of the house. It’s completely covered with tapestries and portraits and contains mostly 18th century furniture.

It sports a massive stone fireplace, painted to appear bronzed. A life size statue of James commands your attention, perched on the mantle.

This room holds another famous Elizabeth portrait, the Ermine Portrait. In it, the queen looks imperious and aloof, projecting the message of majesty and might.

With lots of gold, Elizabeth is portrayed in a high necked white ruffled gown with a white ermine on her sleeve, more symbols of purity. She holds an olive branch and next to her is the golden sword of state.

Like the Rainbow Portrait, Elizabeth is youth-anized. Although she was 67 at the time, she’s given a youthful face. And no gray hair!

3. The Chinese Bedroom

From an antechamber, head into the Chinese Bedroom. It’s a unique room at Hatfield House.

It was originally part of a suite of rooms to house James I as a guest. It has emerald green wallpaper, yellow damask bed hangings, and a red fireplace just to boost its “Chinese” status.

4. The Long Gallery

The long gallery is exceedingly long, 170 feet long in fact. It has a beautiful golden plastered ceiling, covered in gold leaf.

The long gallery was built for exercise. When the weather was inclement, the nobles promenaded up and down the hall.

Half way down the hall, turn right and you’re in the Winter Dining Room. The dining room is laid out in linen, as if royalty were about to dine.

It has a marble chimney piece and the walls are hung with colorful tapestries depicting the four seasons. The tapestries were bought in 1946 to impress a visiting Queen Victoria.

5. The Library

For book lovers, the Library is perhaps the best room in Hatfield House. On one wall, there are huge bay windows overlooking the gardens. \

The other three walls are lined with books, top to bottom. The upper galleries are accessed by staircases.

In the center above the fireplace is a mosaic portrait of Cecil, the Earl of Salisbury, who built the magnificent prodigy home. The mosaics were imported from Venice.

The library is so famous that it’s appeared in a plethora of films. The most famous are perhaps Shakespeare In Love, Batman, and The Favourite.

The library contains a 22 foot long scroll of parchment. It contains Elizabeth’s family tree, with ancestors dating back to Adam and Eve.

6. The Hatfield Chapel

When you leave the Library, you walk down the Adam and Eve Staircase to access the Hatfield Chapel. Built in 1618, it’s still used for church services.

It has a lavish ceiling and portraits of the apostles and saints. It boasts Jacobean stained glass windows, which remarkably survived a fire at Hatfield House.

7. The Hatfield Armory

Like the Marble Hall, the Armory has a black and white checkered floor. It has filigreed windows and many suits of armor. The armor was actually imported, purchased from the Tower of London.

8. The Original Old Palace

The original Old Palace (exterior shown above) is the surviving bit of the Royal Palace of Hatfield, which preceded Hatfield House.

It was constructed in 1497 by the Bishop of Ely, John Morton. As I said above, it was the principal home of a young Elizabeth.

The most significant remaining piece bit is the Banquet Hall. Here, Elizabeth held her first counsel of state under its impressive chestnut beams.

The Old Palace is not always open. It’s often rented out for special occasions. When it is open, you can book a guided tour for 4.50 pounds at the Stable Yard Ticket Kiosk.

Hatfield House as a Filming Location for the Film The Favourite

In 2017, Hatfield House became a filming location for the award-winning 2019 film, The Favourite . The Favorite is a dark period comedy.

It’s the beguiling story of the ailing Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) and the power struggle between two favorites in her court — courtier Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz) and ambitious maid Abigail Hill (Emma Stone).

About 80% of the bawdy period piece was filmed at Hatfield House. The rest was filmed at Hampton Court Palace , which was an important residence for Queen Anne, the last Stuart monarch.

The main filming locations in Hatfield House were:

• (1) the Library, which served as the Duchess of Marlborough’s rooms
• (2) the King’s James Drawing Room, which doubled as Queen Anne’s rooms
• (3) the Marble Hall, which was the location of a grand courtyard scene where Anne screams at musicians to stop playing
• (4) the Long Gallery, where royals and courtiers frequently stride, not just for exercise but with an imperial purpose.

There are also scenes in the Winter Dining Room and in the Tudor Kitchens of Hampton Court. There, Abigail asks her cousin Sarah for a job and works as a maid.

If you’re craving a break from the hustle and bustle of London, beautiful Hatfield House makes a great day trip from London. Or even a 1/2 day trip. It’s worth the effort for the art collection alone!

Practical Guide & Tips For Hatfield House:

Address : Great North Rd, Hatfield AL9 5HX, UK

Hours & Entry fees: here

Guided Tour : If you are a fan of Queen Elizabeth I, you might want to book a guided tour of Hatfield House from London .

Getting there : The house is opposite Hatfield train station, which has trains fromLondon King’s Cross/St Pancras. More info here .

Pro Tip : You can visit on your own or with a guide. If you’re driving, there’s plenty of free parking.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my guide to Hatfield House. You may enjoy these other London travel guides:

• 3 Day Itinerary for London
• 5 Day Itinerary for London
• Hidden Gems in London
• Tourist Traps To Avoid in London
• Best Museums in London
• Day Trips from London
• Harry Potter Places in London
• Guide to the Tower of London
• Guide to the Churchill War Rooms
• Guide To the National Gallery of Art

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Last Updated on November 28, 2023 by Leslie Livingston