Buckingham Palace serves as both the office and London residence of Her Majesty The Queen, as well as the administrative headquarters of the Royal Household. It is one of the few working royal palaces remaining in the world today.
Today the State Rooms are used extensively by The Queen and Members of the Royal Family to receive and entertain their guests on State, ceremonial and official occasions. During August and September when The Queen makes her annual visit to Scotland, the Palace's nineteen state rooms are open to visitors. The State Rooms form the heart of the working palace and are lavishly furnished with some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection - paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Poussin and Canaletto; sculpture by Canova; exquisite examples of Sèvres porcelain; and some of the finest English and French furniture. As part of the Summer Opening of the State Rooms, an exhibition of dresses, jewels, photographs, and gifts presented to Her Majesty by the people of the Commonwealth will be shown at Buckingham Palace. Queen & Commonwealth: The Royal Tour celebrates the 60th anniversary of the London Declaration of 1949, which recognised the British Sovereign as Head of the Commonwealth. Open from 26th July - 30th September 2009. 09:45 - 18:00 (last admission 15:45). Admission is by timed ticket with entry every 15 minutes throughout the day. Tickets are valid only on the date and at the entrance time specified on the ticket. Regrettably, late-comers cannot be admitted. A visit lasts between 2 and 2½ hours. |  |