Buckingham Palace is the London residence and administrative headquarters of the British monarch. It was originally constructed in 1703 as a large townhouse but became the palace in the 19th century. The palace contains over 775 rooms across 39 acres, including 19 state rooms, 52 royal bedrooms, and the largest ballroom in the palace. While the Queen's primary residence is Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace still serves as the administrative center for the monarchy and welcomes over 50,000 guests each year for events.

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BUCKINGHAM
PALACE

2. B U C K I N G H A M P A L A C E
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Buckingham Palace is located in Westminster, London . It is
the London residence and administrative headquarters of
the monarch of the United Kingdom1

3. B U C K I N G H A M P A L A C E
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Buckingham Palace sits in the very heart of London, surrounded by the lavish
St. James and Green Parks. Built as Buckingham House in 1703, the palace
was originally constructed by English Gentleman and architect William
Winde as a large townhouse for Duke Buckingham.

4. FACTS ABOUT BUCKINGHAM PALACE
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• Buckingham Palace features 775 rooms. These include 188 staff
bedrooms, 92 offices, 78 bathrooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, and 19
state rooms. With dimensions of 36.6 m long, 18m wide, and 13.5 m high,
the ballroom earns the award for the largest room in the iconic palace.
• In total, the Buckingham palace grounds span over 39 acres.
• Despite the palace serving as an important space for the royal family, the
King does not in fact privately own the residence. It is instead held in
trust by the Crown Estates.
• When the King is not in residence, typically around late July to late
September, the beautiful State Rooms at Buckingham palace are open to
the public, attracting tourists from all over the world!

5. FACTS ABOUT BUCKINGHAM PALACE
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• There are a staggering 760 windows and 1,514 doors at Buckingham
Palace.
• Although the palace is the official residence for British monarchs, Queen
Elizabeth II actually preferred staying at Windsor Castle, which is about 20
miles away from the palace, and saw Buckingham Palace as her office.
• Over the course of World War Two, Buckingham Palace survived 9
German Bombs attacks.
• Despite concerns for their own safety, King George VI and Queen
Elizabeth, later known as the Queen Mother, refused to leave the palace
during the onslaught of German bombings.

6. FACTS ABOUT BUCKINGHAM PALACE
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• The palace garden is the largest private garden in all of London. It
features a tennis court, lake, and even a helicopter landing!
• When the palace is open to the public, tours of the state room can take
around 2-2.5 hours, lending tourists plenty of time to take in the palace’s
beauty.
• Over 50,000 guests are invited to the palace each year. They are
entertained at receptions, garden parties, and banquets.
• Garden parties at the palace have been known to welcome up to 8,000
guests!
• With a Post Office, pool, police station, cinema, health clinic, and so many
more amenities, Buckingham presents itself as more of a town than a
palace!

7. FACTS ABOUT BUCKINGHAM PALACE
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• The ceremony of the Changing of the
Guard, also known as Guard Mounting,
occurs just outside of Buckingham Palace
at 10:45 and typically lasts around 45
minutes. The actual handover between
guards occurs at 11 a.m.
• Due to the event’s widespread popularity,
finding a proper viewing spot for the
Changing of the Guard can prove tricky.

8. FACTS ABOUT BUCKINGHAM PALACE
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• The iconic red uniforms that the guards
wear were chosen for two very practical
reasons. At the time the uniforms were
created, red was one of the cheapest dyes
to manufacture and thus saved the royal
family money when clothing the guards.
Concerning military strategy, red is the
most difficult colour to distinguish from a
distance. The enemy would thus
experience difficulty identifying how
many British Soldiers they were about to
fight.

9. FACTS ABOUT BUCKINGHAM PALACE
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• Military bands accompany the guards at
the ceremony. They play both traditional
military music and a mix of popular music.
• The royal guards protecting the monarch
can be broken down into five infantry
regiments. Identifying the placement of
tunic buttons is the best way to
distinguish between the groups of
soldiers
• King Henry VII made the Royal Body
Guard a permanent fixture of the royal
family, lasting well over 500 years!

10. FACTS ABOUT BUCKINGHAM PALACE
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• When the King's royal standard flag flies
elegantly above the palace, the King is
currently in residence at the palace.
• Investiture ceremonies take place in the
Royal Ballroom. This includes the famous
ceremony wherein distinguished British
citizens become knighted.

11. HAVING AN EXPERIENCE IN THE BUCKINGHAM PALACE
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• Opening Hours:
Visitors have access to the Buckingham
Palace State Rooms and the Palace Garden
for several weeks throughout the year. But
for obvious security reasons, these can only
be palace guided tours. Available dates vary
based on the tours that the palace offers, but
here’s what’s happening in 2023.

12. HAVING AN EXPERIENCE IN THE BUCKINGHAM PALACE
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Palace-guided tours: Fridays, Saturdays, and
Sundays from November to May. Tours
usually start at 4:00 pm on Fridays, and 11:00
am through 2:30 pm on Saturdays and
Sundays.
Summer tickets: July 14 – September 24, with
State Rooms closed on Tuesdays and
Wednesdays. Tickets have a timed entry so
you’ll want to book ahead, but the palace is
open from 9:30 am to the last admission at
5:15 in July and August, and 4:15 in
September.

13. HAVING AN EXPERIENCE IN THE BUCKINGHAM PALACE
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The Changing of the Guard ceremony takes
place outside the palace building but within
its gates. The public can view this ceremony
without a ticket around 10:40 to 11:00 am
every day. This time is not exact and is also
dependent on weather. The ceremony only
happens everyday in June/July and on
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays
for the rest of the year.

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