Lei, the queen, hasn’t lived there for a long time, preferring the quiet of Windsor. And much of its 775 rooms continue to house only offices and staff quarters. But Buckingham Palace, which reopens to the public tomorrow, Friday 22 July, continues to be the Royal Family’s number one residenceattracting millions of tourists every year.
Buckingham Palace concert for the Queen’s Jubilee June 2022 (Getty Images)
At Buckingham Palace, an exhibit on the Platinum Jubilee
In the year of the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II, 96 years old and for 70 on her record throne, Buckingham Palace also pays tribute to her with an exhibition – The Queen’s Accession – which includes numerous personal jewelry of the queen. Like the very precious diamond tiara received from her grandmother Mary on the occasion of her wedding with Filippo, in November 1947.
The unpublished portraits of the sovereign
The Jubilee display also includes a series of rare photos showing the new monarch ascending to the throne in February 1952, just 25 years old. Used in the following decades as the basis for English stamps, in the images Elizabeth wears different dresses created by her stylist Norman Hartnell and they are signed by Dorothy Wilding, the first official Royal photographer.
Buckingham Palace will remain open until October 2nd
Despite harsh online criticism of the management of the building, in the next ten weeks the public will have the opportunity to carry out a Royal tour which includes the Grand Entrance with the famous staircase, the White Drawing Room And the sumptuous State Roomsusually used for official banquets. Open every day except Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from 9:30 to 19:30, the admission ticket for adults is 30 pounds (about 35 euros).
Queen Elizabeth in the fun sketch made at Buckingham Palace for her Jubilee, June 2022 (Getty Images)
The queen’s idea was called “brilliant”
It was the queen herself, in the summer of 1993, who authorized the opening of part of the palace in a period of serious economic difficulties for the Royal Family, caused by the terrible fire that destroyed part of Windsor Castle.
Elizabeth realized that, thanks to its iconic status, Buckingham Palace could transform itself into a goose that lays golden eggs. And that allowed her at the time to pay out of her own pocket the tens of millions of pounds needed to refurbish the 115 smashed rooms in Windsor.
The queen’s treasurers worried about the red accounts
After two years of closure for Covid-19, Buckingham Palace finance managers hope that the success achieved in 1993 will be repeated today. And that, in an important year for the history of the royal family and of the whole country, the reopening and the new exhibition to restore, at least in part, the Royal coffers.
Follow us on Twitter Spaces!
Every Monday at 11 on the iO Donna account.
Read the iO book Woman, Princesses become! From Kate Middleton to Meghan Markle
Buy it online at Prima Edicola for 9.90 euros.
Listen to the free podcast about British royalty
iO Donna © REPRODUCTION RESERVED