Buckingham Palace. Official residence of the British Royal Family in London since 1837 . Currently, it is the residence of Queen Elizabeth II and one of the city’s greatest attractions.
History
Buckingham Palace since 1837 has been the official residence of the English royal family. Originally, it was a small mansion and not a palace. Its history dates back to the early 18th century , when King George III bought a house for his wife, Queen Charlotte , in 1761 in order to enjoy a more familiar and endearing home than that of the nearby palace of St James , from where many of the monarchical tasks were carried out, then. In 1826 , his son the king, George IV, entrusts his architect, John Nash, to remodel the house and turn it into a palace. Eleven years later, just three weeks after her accession to the throne, Queen Victoria leaves Windsor and settles in the new palace.
Victoria was the first monarch to live in the Palace, so the statue that today stands in front of the building is installed in her honor.
Currently in the palace resides Queen Elizabeth II with her husband Prince Philip of Edinburgh , and there both receive dignitaries and official guests.
The palace remained closed to the public until 1993 , when Queen Elizabeth II decided to open it to raise money to repair Windsor Castle , which suffered severe damage during a fire.
World War
During the two world wars the palace survived in an exemplary way. In World War I he was lucky not to be attacked but, during World War II , he was bombed on different occasions. The most important bombing destroyed the royal chapel in 1940 .
characteristics
Buckingham Palace stands between the heavy traffic of central London and the park complex made up of St. James and Green Park. The large iron gates at the entrance lead into St James Park, one of the most pleasant in London, where you can walk among the lakes with views of the Palace.
The Palace can only be visited in the summer, when the Queen rests in her Balmoral residence. Therefore, it only opens between August and October. Only 3500 people can enter per day.
Attraction
One of the greatest attractions of this palace today is that inside are the main and most important jewels of the British royal crown , these are in public view and it has one of the highest security in all of England . The Buckingham Palace Gardens are the largest private gardens in London. The man-made lake was created in 1828 and receives water from Serpentine Lake , the lake in Hyde Park.
In the Palace you can find a multitude of masterpieces. Works of art commissioned by the monarchs from artists such as Rubens, Rembrandt, Canaletto, and Vermeer are exhibited. The main rooms of the palace are in the noble zone. They are truly majestic rooms where receptions, dances or ceremonies are held. The Throne Room, the Green Room and the Guard Room stand out.
Queen’s Guard
The Changing of the Guard in front of Buckingham Palace in London, is the process carried out by the new royal guard who exchanges positions with the group that was in charge of the security and custody of access to the royal residence until that moment.
The Guard that guards Buckingham Palace is called the Queen’s Guard and is divided into 2 detachments: Buckingham Palace and St. James’s Palace. The teams are made up of battalions from the Cavalry Division and, occasionally, other infantry battalions.Queen’s Guard
When the guards are on duty, they are dressed in the uniform of one of the 5 regiments of the British Army: the Scots Guards, the Irish, the Welsh, the Royal Grenadiers and the Coldstreams. The latter are the most common and recognizable for their nice black fur hats and red uniform .
The Queen’s Guard is led by a Captain (usually with the rank of Major) and each detachment by a Lieutenant. The banner is carried by another lieutenant and the band follows. The repertoire is extremely eclectic, ranging from British military marches, movie soundtracks, children’s songs, popular themes, and even foreign military marches.
When the Queen is at Buckingham Palace there are 4 sentries at the front of the building. If she’s not there, there are only two.