Buckingham Palace is known all around the world as the place where the Queen lives. It first became the home of the English monarchs when Queen Victoria renovated the place. In February 2020, the palace began doing some renovations on the East Wing.
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With its grandeur and glory, people wondered what could possibly be renovated. It has a total of 775 rooms and is 828,000 square feet in size. It’s no doubt that Buckingham Palace is a magnificent building. Read on to have a peek at some of the palace’s most amazing rooms.
The Tremendous Ballroom
You can’t look at the Buckingham Palace Ballroom and not think of royalty and grandeur. Being inside the royal ballroom is like attending the most lavish wedding ceremony of the millennium multiplied by 10.
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The ballroom alone displays six massive chandeliers, a golden trim, and a rich velvet carpet. There’s no doubt the place is a masterpiece from top to bottom and down to the smallest detail. Below the archway rests two thrones. Don’t be confused, though; this isn’t the throne room.
The State Dining Room
There’s no dining room in the world that could ever compare to Buckingham Palace’s dining room. In this picture, the room is cleared out of chairs and tables, which shows just exactly how spacious the whole dining room is.
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The arched ceiling in this room is truly majestic. It’s decorated with golden patterns that complement the golden frames of the large paintings and mirrors that line the walls. Tons of natural light pours in through the windows opposite the fireplace. The floors and walls are lined in velvet.
The Grand Blue Drawing Room
The Blue Drawing Room offers a sneak peek into what it would’ve been like attending Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding reception. This room was used for their special day, and it’s pretty obvious why.
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This stunning room is accented by shades of blue in the wallpaper that wonderfully goes together with the soft blue curtains and the matching chairs. To top it off with an earthy vibe, orange marble pillars and golden trims are added.
The Lavish Throne Room
If there’s one space in the palace you would expect to be grand, it’s the throne room. Indeed, the room lives up to its name. It features gold and silver trims, huge chandeliers, and shiny golden sconces.
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Lining the ceiling are carved designs of ancient people. Underneath that are two statues of angels stretching towards each other. The thrones are situated atop three steps and are highlighted by a gold awning and a velvet backdrop.
The 1844 Room
Although the name suggests it is old, it is far from dated. It’s decorated in silky blue furniture with gold trim and is paired with a huge floral carpet underfoot. The room’s focal point is a painting that is flanked by golden pillars.
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The 1844 room is one of the more recognized rooms in the Palace. It’s where the Queen has met up with many public figures and officials from around the world. You may have seen a picture of the Queen and Angelina Jolie together in the palace. The photo was taken in this room.
The Queen’s Gallery
In the middle of the Central Block’s second floor is where you’ll find the Queen’s Gallery. It’s decorated with antique artwork that is certainly what you’d expect for royalty. The breathtaking arched ceiling serves as a light feature to provide all the artworks with proper illumination.
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Aside from the artworks, the crown moulding is also majestic. Its detailing offers an added depth without stealing attention from the artwork. The red walls and velvet allow the room to feel more cosy and less like a proper museum while still giving it a touch of royalty.
The White Drawing Room
The White Dining Room can be found just off the Queen’s Gallery. It’s full of massive, shimmering chandeliers and light sconces. The room is as bright as its name implies. The space has golden arches at its every turn.
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Perhaps the most breathtaking feature of this room is the secret door that is hidden as a mirror. Whenever the Queen prepares to meet with small groups of people, she can enter through this hidden access point.
The Music Room
The Music Room can be found right next to the White Drawing Room. There is a curved fourth wall that is lined with windows and glass doors so that the room is flooded with natural lighting. Plus, with these glass door, you get a perfect view of the garden.
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Situated between the windows are emerald pillars and theatrical red pillars. Living up to its name, the Music Room has a piano, but it is used for multiple events inside the palace. For example, numerous princes and princesses had their christening in this very room.
The Bow Room
On the first floor is the Bow Room, where it is also directly below the Music Room. Its located directly past the grand entrance and is where guests pass through when they want to attend the Queen’s famous garden parties.
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The Bow Room is more than a passing area. It is lined with pillars, golden crown moulding, paintings, and several other antiques. This room alone is a marvel to look at. It has also been used for royal meetings, such as when the Queen was given a Gurka ceremonial staff.
The Majestic Private Audience Room
Getting invited to the Queen’s Private Audience Room is probably one of life’s greatest achievements. It’s decorated with pale blue walls and cream furniture, giving it a more soft and subtle touch compared to other rooms in the palace.
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Aside from the breathtaking paintings on the wall, the Queen has also added some personal touches to the room, such as family photos and floral bouquet. The white fireplace finishes the gathering room to make it feel more cosy but still sophisticated.
The Regency Room
Another one of the Queen’s more personal rooms is the Regency Room. Here, you see photographs of the Queen during her younger years often sitting at her desk in this very room. Indeed, it seems cosier than some of the rooms at the palace.
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If only it weren’t attached to Buckingham Palace, the room could actually pass off as a luxury studio apartment. It’s got a round table, two sofas, one desk, and various seating. It has a taupe and green colour scheme, giving it a more earthy vibe.
The Yellow Drawing Room
You may be familiar with the Yellow Drawing Room from the Queen’s Christmas broadcast. This room is so darling that we’re not surprised the Queen decided to do the broadcast in her. With the floral wallpaper and bright furniture, the room surely does put a smile on our faces.
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Other notable features in the Yellow Drawing Room include a green carpet decorated with pink flowers, a fireplace with a massive mirror on top, some grey-blue sculptures, and a tray ceiling that has a distinctive design running down the middle.
The Grand Staircase
The moment you enter the Central Block, the first thing you’ll come face to face with is the Grand Staircase. The Central Block is the only place in the area that is accessible by the public. This breathtaking entrance was specifically fashioned to wow visitors.
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The walls are lined with exquisite designs that snake up and across its arched ceiling. The elegant light sconces match the flawless detailing of its pillars. Furthermore, its star railings have an impeccable, golden pattern that can only be found in a palace.
The Palace Front Doors
The Palace Front Doors has four parts forming a square. At the centre of it is a courtyard. Whenever notable visitors are at the palace, they will arrive at the entrance to the Central Block by passing through the courtyard underneath an archway.
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The awning is supported by black iron and, here, cars can pull right up to the red carpet. Majestic pillars and ornate lanterns lead right up to the palace front doors. At either side of the wooden doors are two doormen to accompany visitors to and from their vehicles.
The Huge Entryway
You can find the palace’s main entrance in front of the courtyard, which is so massive that it’s no surprise guests have to drive up to the Central Block. The enormous entrance is big enough for huge crowds to gather as the royal family makes an appearance on the palace balcony.
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The massive entryway also makes suspecting intruders vulnerable. Should potential trespassers get past the looming gates, they would find themselves completely vulnerable for several hundred feet, which gives the royal guards enough time to spot them.
The Towering Gates
While some gates don’t really do much to catch our attention, the gates before Buckingham Palace are a true masterpiece. The dark-coloured gates have a golden trim that matches the two crests featured on them. The intricate detailing makes the cement look far from ordinary.
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Aesthetic means a lot to the royal family. In fact, in 1913, the commissioned Sir Aston Webb, a famous architect, to redesign the principal façade of the Buckingham Palace. Preparing to redesign it took a year, and the actual work took about 13 weeks to finish.
The Massive Flowerbeds
Before you arrive at the palace gates, you’ll first be welcomed by a gigantic flowerbed and statue. Last July 2020, the Queen unveiled two 30-foot long flowerbeds that spelt “NHS” to honour the 72nd anniversary of the National Health Service.
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The stunning flowerbed further decorates the palace, offering a sweet and colourful feature that somewhat represents what can be found inside. The property has an 830,000 square foot interior, so describing it as spacious doesn’t even seem to be an adequate term.
The Yearly Summer Garden Party
Beyond the palace, you’ll find a gigantic grass field where tens of thousands of guests gather for the annual summer garden parties. As enormous as the yard may seem, this is only a small portion of the different gardens stretching across 39 acres of land.
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The gardens feature a three-acre lake, a couple of hundred trees, and more than 350 different kinds of wildflowers. Given that the interior of the palace has 775 rooms, we’re not surprised that the exterior is as grand as the interior.
The Red Balcony
The most popular area of the entire Buckingham Palace has to be the balcony. It is situated right in front of the residence and only royalty and staff have access. The royal family usually comes to the balcony during significant events to acknowledge the crowd.
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The first known appearance on the balcony was when Queen Victoria would step out during celebrations in 1851. Since then, the royal family has stepped out for various royal occasions like weddings, birthdays, and significant anniversaries.
Huge Crowds Before The Balcony
When you consider the interior and exterior of the massive Buckingham Palace, it can get quite overwhelming. Thousands of people gather by the huge entryway between the gate and the front of the building to catch a glimpse of the balcony and the royal family.
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It’s hard to make out the bit of red that signifies the royal family’s balcony. Therefore, one can only imagine how hard it would be to catch a glimpse of the royal family when you’re stood at the back of the crowd. Nonetheless, people are willing to travel far and wide just to try and get a glimpse of the royals.