Buckingham Palace

Originally, the palace was built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703. Sixty years later, King George III purchased it as a private residence. In 1762, he completed the palace, enhancing it with grandeur and elegance befitting monarchs. Over the next 75 years, architects John Nash and Edward Blore constructed three wings around the central courtyard. The construction cost reached £700,000, partly due to the use of extravagances such as 500 blocks of Carrara marble.

Only in 1837, upon Queen Victoria's accession to the throne, was the palace declared the residence of the British monarchs. During her reign, significant additions were made, including the construction of another wing and the relocation of the former ceremonial entrance, Marble Arch, to its current location near Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park.

By 1853, the ballroom was built.

Today, Buckingham Palace comprises 775 rooms, including the throne room, ballroom, White Drawing Room, Green Drawing Room, and a picture gallery with paintings by Rubens and Rembrandt, 72 bathrooms, and the largest private gardens in London.

The palace houses a vast art gallery with works by Rembrandt, Rubens, and others. The collection also includes French porcelain, and French and English furniture.

Currently, the palace consists of 775 rooms, including 19 State rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, and 72 bathrooms. It occupies a 20-hectare area, of which 17 hectares are gardens. The Buckingham Palace gardens, originally laid out by Lancelot "Capability" Brown, were later redesigned by William Aiton and John Nash. A large artificial pond was completed in 1828.

The facade features the famous balcony from which British monarchs greet their subjects, and where most official photographs of the royal family are taken against the backdrop of the British flag.

The Royal Standard, a red, yellow, and blue flag, flies on the central flagpole when the Queen is in residence. It features the coat of arms of England in the upper left and lower right corners, the coat of arms of Northern Ireland in the lower left corner, and the coat of arms of Scotland in the upper right corner. When the Queen is not in residence, the Union Flag, the flag of the United Kingdom, is raised instead.

Only 19 rooms are open to tourists, including famous and luxurious ones such as the White Drawing Room, Blue Drawing Room, Green Drawing Room, Throne Room, and the State Dining Room, which can accommodate up to 600 people dining simultaneously.

The largest room is the ballroom, measuring 36 meters in length and 11 meters in width, and it is also the most luxurious and beautiful.

The palace also has a pool, post office, and its own cinema. For two months (August and September), when the monarch leaves Buckingham Palace, the State Rooms are open to visitors. About 30,000 tourists visit Buckingham Palace over these two months.

The Royal Mews have been open to the public year-round since 2011 and are still in operation. They organize all travels for the Queen and members of the Royal Family. The exhibition includes royal modes of transport, including the Gold State Coach used for coronations and the Glass Coach used for brides.

The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace is one of the world's most famous ceremonies, taking place daily at 11:30 from April to August, and on alternate days for the rest of the year.