Buckingham Palace has announced the reopening of its newly reserviced East Wing for summer tours, just weeks before Prince Harry's anticipated visit to the UK for the Invictus Games event. The announcement, shared via the Royal Collection Trust's tweet, emphasizes the palace's ongoing efforts to protect the historic building and preserve it for future generations.
"Tours of the newly reserviced East Wing of Buckingham Palace will run this summer," the announcement reads. "In 2024, the Buckingham Palace reservicing programme marks its seventh year with the reopening of the East Wing. The programme aims to protect the historic building from risk of fire or flood, to ensure the Palace is fit for purpose, and to preserve it for future generations."
Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the Sovereign, is not only an iconic building but also a working one, hosting nearly 100,000 guests and attracting over 15 million tourists annually. The reopening of the East Wing coincides with Prince Harry's expected return to the UK in May, likely accompanied by his wife, Meghan Markle, and their children, Archie and Lilibet.
In 2024, the Buckingham Palace reservicing programme marks its seventh year with the reopening of the East Wing.
The programme aims to protect the historic building from risk of fire or flood, to ensure the Palace is fit for purpose, and to preserve it for future generations. — The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 4, 2024
In a related development, King Charles III has taken steps to make royal residences more accessible to the public. For the first time, the monarch is opening the doors of Balmoral Castle, the British royal family's beloved private Scottish home, for intimate tours this summer. The tours, which run daily from July 4 to August 11, were met with overwhelming enthusiasm, with all £100 ($126) tickets selling out within 24 hours of their release.
Balmoral Castle, situated on the bank of the Dee river in Scotland's Cairngorms National Park, has been the Scottish residence of the royal family since 1852. This summer, visitors will be granted unprecedented access to parts of the royal retreat that have never been open to the public before, including the castle's ballroom, where the late Queen Elizabeth II lay in rest before her journey to Edinburgh in September 2022.
The move to open up the grounds appears to be part of a broader drive by King Charles III to make royal residences more accessible. The East Wing of Buckingham Palace, famous for its central balcony where members of the royal family gather for public appearances, will also be open to the public this summer for the first time. Meanwhile, the grounds of other royal properties like Windsor, Sandringham, Holyroodhouse, and Highgrove have routinely opened up for various events.
During the hour-long tour at Balmoral, which is restricted to 10 people, visitors will be taken on a "historical journey" from the purchase of the estate in the 1850s to the present day. An exhibition held in the ballroom will display a collection of watercolor artworks by the King himself, depicting scenery at Balmoral and two other royal estates, as well as outfits worn by Charles, his late mother, his grandmother, and his wife, Queen Camilla.
The opening of Balmoral Castle to the public is not entirely unprecedented, as previous tours have allowed visitors to explore parts of the estate's grounds and gardens. However, access has always been limited to just one room inside the castle itself. It is also possible to book out five cottages found within the estate's walls, with some lucky guests even bumping into the royal landlord during their stay.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla typically travel to Balmoral in August for a late-summer break, which will likely provide some welcome respite for the couple following the King's cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment.
The increased accessibility of royal residences under King Charles III's reign marks a significant shift towards openness and engagement with the public. As the monarch continues to promote transparency and connection with the people, these initiatives are expected to foster a deeper appreciation for the royal family's history and heritage.
