Buckingham Palace

The Duke of Buckingham built Buckingham Palace in 1793. It is the Royal residence of the British Monarch; however, it is not the monarch's personal property.

The palace became the main royal residence in 1837 thanks to Queen Victoria and it is among the largest in the world.

In fact, there are 775 rooms, including 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, 78 bathrooms, 52 principal bedrooms, and 19 state rooms. It also has a post office, a cinema, a swimming pool, a doctor's surgery and a jeweller's workshop. Foreign heads of state are usually entertained by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

The palace is open to the public for a fee, but it can only be accessed when the sovereigns are not there (above all during summer since the queen spends her holidays at Windsor Castle). The wing open to the public is the west one.

In addition to visiting the rooms (such as the guards room, the blue living room and the green living room) people can admire the rich collection of paintings in the art gallery, ranging from works by Titian, Van Dyck and Raphael.

The major ceremony and tourist attraction is the traditional Changing of the Guard, which starts every day at 11:30.

Next to the palace there are the Royal Mews where the royal carriages, including the Gold State Coach, are housed. The Mall is very famous; it is a ceremonial route to the palace. Its surface is red and it extends from Admiralty Arch, across St James park to the Victoria Memorial. This route is used by the royal family on state occasions - such as the annual Trooping the Colour. Near Buckingham Palace there are the wonderful royal gardens, which include more than 350 species of flowers and a lake with flamingos .

DANIELE CAGNES