Buckingham Palace is the seat of Royalty in England.The place was as private as private can be and was opened to the public only from 1993. For a visitor the entryway is from the Ambassador’s Court on Buckingham Palace Road. The place also houses the administrative headquarters of the Monarchy. It is one of the Royal Palaces whose reputation and royalty haven’t dwindled away with age and the rise of democracy. The State Rooms are used by the Royal family to receive guests. It is only when the Queen visits Scotland in the month of August and September that visitors can see the state rooms. You walk pass the Guard room and see the exquisite silk tapestries lining the wall. You can also see some of the great treasures of the British monarchy like the treasure trove of paintings of Rembrandt, Rubens, Poussin and Canaletto, exquisite sculpture by Canova and a bevy of French and English furniture collected throughout the ages.
Buckingham Palace was built in 1702 as a London home to the Duke of Buckingham. George III bought the house and renamed it as the Queen’s House because Queen Charlotte stayed here. With George IV coming to the throne, Nash was selected to make alterations to the palace. Though the original structure remained many additions were made like suite of rooms facing the garden. The architectural pattern was French Neoclassical.It gained new significance when Queen Victoria made it the royal seat of London. One of the main attractions of the palace is the changing of the Guard ceremony in the Garden. As far as the interior is concerned is still intact. Many rooms again are imitation of exquisite Chinese style of decoration with the finest pieces bought from Royal Pavilion and Carlton House.
The main rooms in the Buckingham Palace are in the piano nobile. The Music Room, White Room, and the Blue Room are the most important state rooms. The guard room has a huge statue of Victoria. A less grand suite of rooms lies just underneath the State Rooms. They are used for luncheon parties and formal gatherings. The The Queen stays on a smaller suite of rooms in the Northern wing of the castle. The Queen’s Breakfast Room is a Chinese styled room designed during the times of Queen Mary who wanted the design to be thus. The Great corridor of the East wing has a wide variety of mirrored doors with porcelin pagodas and Chinese art. The Chinese Luncheon Room is similarly decorated. Foreign head of the state are put up in the Belgian suite of rooms. The Ballroom is the largest of the rooms in Buckingham Palace. Queen Victoria who loved entertaining guests added it I n 1856. Presently the interiors are done in white and gold with a contrast of red upholstery.
The Palace was resided by Edward VII and his wife Queen Alexandra both of who m socialized regularly. The Palace became lively again and garden parties were often conducted. As listed in the Royal Collection Department book there are contained 19 state rooms, 52 principal bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, and 78 bathrooms here. The original palace walso has chapel which was destroyed in 1940 from the bombing in the World War II. Guests wait eagerly to be waited for the Garden parties in Buckingham Palace. There are generally three garden parties in the Summer. Approximately the guests list contains about 50,000 people.
