If, like me, nosying around other people’s gaffs is one of your favourite hobbies, I come bearing some information that may be of interest to you. Between July 9 and September 27, Buckingham Palace will be throwing open its (usually firmly locked) gates, and welcoming mere mortals (like you and I) to have peek behind the curtain fancy doors.
Visitors will have the unique opportunity to have snoop around the palace’s oh-so swanky State Rooms, East Wing, and Gardens; spaces that are usually off-limits to the public. There are 19 State Rooms in total, each of which are opulently decorated and utterly gorgeous.
Guests can explore the lavish likes of the Throne Room (a room that you may recognise as the backdrop of many royal wedding photos), the Music Room (used to host royal christenings), the White Drawing Room, the Picture Gallery and the rather breathtaking Grand Staircase. Each room is filled with dazzling chandeliers, decadent furnishings, and rare works of art. There’s usually also a temporary exhibition that takes place at the palace during the summer months, too.
Visitors can embark on a self-guided tour of the State Rooms, but can also add on guided tours of the East Wing (the part of the palace that boasts the balcony on which the Royal Family frequently make their public appearances) and the Buckingham Palace Garden (that is home to the tennis court on which King George VI and Fred Perry played in the 1930s).
Tickets for these royally good tours are on sale now, but they tend to sell out fairly quickly, so you’ll need to be speedy if you want to get your hands on one.
Find out more about Buckingham Palace’s opening dates and snap up a ticket here.