The Summer Opening of Buckingham Palace is a highlight for many London visitors and this year there is an added bonus with the launch of the Royal Childhood Exhibition.
Once in the precincts of the palace there is a tour of the State Rooms, ‘State Rooms’ is the name given to those rooms that were designed and built as the public rooms of the Palace, in which monarchs receive, reward and entertain their subjects and visiting dignitaries. Today the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace are used extensively by The Queen and members of the Royal Family to receive and entertain their guests on State, ceremonial and official occasions.
The Palace’s nineteen State Rooms were designed primarily for George IV , who commissioned the architect John Nash to transform Buckingham House into a palace. Many of the pieces of furniture and works of art in these rooms were bought or made for Carlton House, George IV’s London home when he was Prince of Wales. Today the State Rooms are decorated with some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection, including paintings by Van Dyck and Canaletto, sculpture by Canova, pieces of Sèvres porcelain, and some of the finest English and French furniture in the world.
The Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace is one of the highlights in which is displayed some of the greatest paintings in the Royal Collection.
With Prince George recently celebrating his first birthday , the Royal Childhood exhibition is perhaps a timely reminder of how the Royal childhood has changed over the centuries.
The exhibition brings together over 150 objects both family and official gifts presented to royal children, as well as the outfits worn by young princes and princesses and the spectacular silver-gilt Lily Font, commissioned by Queen Victoria for the christening of her first daughter Princess Victoria in 1841 and used at almost all major royal baptisms since.
A number of The Queen’s childhood toys are on display, including a pink tea set in the shape of a rabbit, a set of Knockemdown Ninepins and a wicker pram that the two-year-old Princess Elizabeth enjoyed pushing around .These will be alongside a range of toys, from jigsaws to train sets, many enjoyed by generations of royal children.
Once you have enjoyed the State Rooms and the Exhibition, visitors can relax and have some refreshments in the Garden Café on the west terrace overlooking the gardens. There is also a Family Pavilion to entertain the children.
Then a walk along the path takes you passed the Garden shop where you can purchase homeware, china, clothing and jewellery, children’s toys, books and postcards, then an enjoyable stroll along near the lake before you exit in Grosvenor Road near Hyde Park Corner.
Visiting Buckingham Palace would appeal to those visitors who wish to discover more about the functioning of a modern monarchy , the lavishly decorated state rooms will not disappoint those looking for displays of grandeur but its worth remembering this the public face of the Monarchy. That is why the Royal Childhood Exhibition is a welcome diversion it is refreshing to see royal children in the multimedia displays playing games and enjoying being a child before the duties and responsibilities of adulthood.
Visiting London Guide Rating – Highly Recommended
Exhibition details
Saturday, 26 July – Sunday, 28 September 2014
Admission prices
Adult £19.75
Concessions £18.00
Under 17 £11.25
Under 5 Free
The ticket price includes the tour of the State Rooms, The Royal Childhood Exhibition and allows you access to the café and shop.
To find out more or to book tickets ,visit the Royal Collection website here
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