This may be part of an effort to open up a little more of the royal residence, and a recognition of the 369 million pounds ($474 million) taxpayers have donated to beautify palaces where the royals don’t actually live.
Charles III is “very keen to open up the Royal Apartments”, Nicola Turner-Inman, curator of the Royal Collection, told the BBC.
“The King is concerned that so much taxpayer money has been spent over a decade on renovating the palace, so people need to know what is going into it,” said Joe Little, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, a publication that covers the royal family.
The East Wing tour has been a trial run, with 75-pound ($96) tickets selling out within hours of going on sale in April.
“As with all things relating to the Royal Family, change is happening gradually,” Little said, but he suggested that in recent years, those running the palace seem to have become “more commercially savvy.” “Obviously, there are significant sources of income there and there have been significant changes since the King came to the throne,” he said.
This month, we will also be visiting Balmoral Castle, the late singer’s beloved Scottish hideaway. Queen Elizabeth IIbegan offering access to previously off-limits areas for a basic admission fee of 100 pounds ($129), or 150 pounds ($193) with afternoon tea included. Tickets sold out within 24 hours.
Large-scale concerts have begun being held at Sandringham Estate, where members of the royal family gather over Christmas.
Jill Mallett, 62, was among those touring Buckingham Palace on Thursday afternoon. She said allowing broad access to the royal residence was a “great idea” and gave the public a “little taste of what we’ve been paying for.” “It’s good that everyone can see it, not just certain people.”
But some critics have complained that the public should be able to enter Buckingham Palace for free.
“This is a public building. It costs £75 to visit. We spend over £345 million a year on the monarchy and are currently spending hundreds of millions of pounds renovating the palace. This is appalling,” said Graham Smith, founder of anti-royalist group Republic. wrote on social media.
The Royals have access to many castles, palaces and “cottages” scattered across the country. Some estates, such as Balmoral and Sandringham, are owned outright by the Royals and have been passed down for generations. But others are Crown EstateIt is a collection of land which dates back to the Norman Conquest in 1066 and is now administered by the British government, with revenues going to the Crown Treasury.
Windsor Castle and Kensington Palace are Crown Estate properties that are open to the public for a fee. Prince Andrew He lives with his ex-wife, Sarah Fergusonand Frogmore CottageFormer Prince Harry and Meghanis off-limits to the public.
Buckingham Palace first opened to the public in the summer of 1993 after part of Windsor Castle was destroyed in a fire and funds were needed for restoration.
It is unclear whether Prince Charles will continue to live in the 775-room palace after a 10-year renovation is completed in 2027.
Buckingham Palace still serves as the administrative headquarters of the royal family — Charles visits there for meetings, receptions, and state events — but he broke with the previous five monarchs in 1940. Choose not to move inInstead, he and Queen Camilla remained in Clarence House, the five-bedroom white stucco mansion where they have lived together for 20 years.
The East Wing of Buckingham Palace was extended during the reign of Queen Victoria, who needed more space for her growing family (she had nine children).
The construction was funded by the sale of the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, once the seaside home of King George IV. George had a love of Asian art and design, and many objects from the pavilion were shipped to London, including exquisite Chinese and Japanese porcelain.
Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, oversaw the decoration of the East Wing, and it was he who suggested adding a balcony.
