10 Interesting Facts About Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is considered as the most recognizable palace in Great Britain, if not in the world. Home to generations of royals and keeper of priceless treasures, the palace saw its humble beginning as a large townhouse until it became the London residence and principal workplace of the British Monarchy. Here are 10 interesting things that you might find very interesting about Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace is home to Queen Elizabeth II.

Buckingham Palace is the principal London residence of Queen Elizabeth II. However, St. James's Palace is still the official residence of the sovereign. In fact, foreign ambassadors are formally accredited to the Court of St. James'.

Buckingham Palace has so many rooms.

Buckingham Palace's Blue Drawing Room

There are 775 rooms in the palace. To wit, these include 19 State rooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms.

A mulberry garden used to stand on the palace grounds.

Buckingam House, c1710.

King James I started a mulberry on the site where the palace now stands to rear silkworms. However, the king picked the wrong species, so his plan eventually failed.

The Palace was named after the Duke of Buckingham.

John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham.

John Sheffield, 3rd Earl of Mulgrave, Marquess of Normanby, and later, Duke of Buckingham was a Tory politician, who built Buckingham House as his London home.

King George III bought the Palace for Queen Charlotte.

Queen Charlotte

In 1761, George III purchased Buckingham House as a gift to his wife, Queen Charlotte, as her London home, thus, it was known that time as the Queen's House. 14 of the couple’s 15 children were born at Buckingham Palace.

It was in the 1820s that Buckingham Palace came to be.

Buckingham Palace, c1837.

In the 1820s, King George IV commissioned John Nash to remodel the house and turn it into a palace. The construction, however, became so expensive that the king fired Nash. William IV, George’s successor, hired Edward Blore to finish the work.

Queen Victoria was the first sovereign to occupy the palace.  

Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria moved to Buckingham Palace shortly after her accession in 1837 and chose it as her official residence. The previous monarch - William IV - had preferred to live at Clarence House and to use St. James's Palace for State functions.

The Palace saw major extensions until the early 20th century.

Buckingham Palace after it was remodelled to its present form, c1913.

The last major structural additions were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the East front, which contains the well-known balcony on which the royal family traditionally appears to greet crowds outside. During World War II, the palace chapel was destroyed by a German bomb and on its site, the Queen's Gallery was built and official opened in 1962. Exhibit works of art from the Royal Collection are now displayed there.

The Buckingham Palace Garden is the largest private garden in London.

Buckingham Palace Garden.

The garden is where the Queen's garden parties are held.

The Palace state rooms are open to the public each year.

Buckingham Palace Throne Room

The state rooms, used for official and state entertaining, are open to the public each year for most of August and September, as part of the Palace's Summer Opening.

Find out more about Buckingham Palace at the British Monarchy’s official website.