The Queen’s official London residence, Buckingham Palace has over 800 staff members and 775 rooms which include 19 State rooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. The Palace also has its own chapel, post office, swimming pool, staff cafeteria, doctor’s surgery and cinema. The site where Buckingham Palace now stands was originally a mulberry garden planted by King James I, and the Palace’s name comes from the original Buckingham House built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703. George III bought Buckingham House for his wife, Queen Charlotte, in 1761, and it was transformed into Buckingham Palace in the 1820s by architect John Nash for George IV. The first monarch to use Buckingham Palace as their official residence was Queen Victoria in 1837. Today, more than 50,000 people visit the Palace each year as The Queen’s guests at banquets, lunches, dinners, receptions and garden parties. A flag always flies above Buckingham Palace: The Royal Standard flies when The Queen is in residence, and the Union Flag flies when she is not.
- Buckingham Palace
- London, SW1A 1AA
- www.royal.gov.uk
- Underground: Green Park