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Discovering Royalty: 10 Entertaining Facts About Buckingham Palace You Won't Believe!

illustration of buckingham-palace
Dive into a world of royal intrigue and fascinating tidbits as we unveil some amusing and lesser-known facts about the iconic Buckingham Palace.

1. One-Stop Royal Shop

You thought your local mall was impressive? Behold Buckingham Palace, the royal equivalent of a one-stop shop: housing a post office, cinema, swimming pool, doctor's surgery, and a jeweller's workshop, all cozily tucked within its staggering 775 rooms!
Source => thelatch.com.au

2. Buckingham Palace GPS

Who needs a GPS in their car when you can have one for Buckingham Palace: Boasting a whopping 775 rooms – comprising 19 State Rooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, and 78 bathrooms – a trusty map or tour guide will ensure you don't go from royalty to losing your way in these regal environs.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

3. Heavenly Staircase

When stairway to heaven takes a "paneful" twist: Buckingham Palace's grand staircase boasts 40 gorgeous glass panes intricately etched with angelic figures, making it a divine spectacle within the royal abode.
Source => bridgewaterglass.co.uk

4. Royal Car-wash Alternative

Fret not, dear reader, for the Queen need not host a royal car wash fundraiser at Buckingham Palace to upkeep her shiny vehicles: Instead, the palace boasts a swanky garage in its Mews section, comfortably accommodating up to seven state cars and additional royal conveyances, complete with a workshop for maintenance and repairs, ensuring that the Queen's carriages, Daimlers, and Rolls-Royces remain at their spiffiest for monumental events like the State Opening of Parliament and the Changing of the Guard.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

Exclusive Royal Perks

5. Exclusive Royal Perks

If you thought Buckingham Palace was a royal splash for everyone, think again: there's no public access to the indoor swimming pool, strictly reserved for the royal family, but they do have their own private ATM in the basement, requiring a hefty £1.3 million bank account balance to qualify.
Source => historic-cornwall.org.uk

6. Royal Home Renovation

Buckingham Palace, home to a monarchy but not a Monopoly: the electrical cabling, plumbing, and heating haven't been updated since the 1950s, prompting an urgent reservicing project that began in 2017 to replace all key systems over a ten-year period, funded by a temporary increase in the Sovereign Grant.
Source => royal.uk

7. Queen's Art Appreciation

Who said royals don't know how to party? At Buckingham Palace, the Queen has her own private gallery for indulging in her refined taste for the arts: The Queen's Gallery, which boasts a remarkable lineup of masterpieces from the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Rembrandt. Here, the majestic Royal Mews also plays host to splendid carriages, including the opulent Gold State Coach, which has added a touch of glitz and glamour to every coronation since George IV's grand entrance in 1821.
Source => royal.uk

8. Queen's Green Thumb

Who said royals don't have green thumbs? Queen Elizabeth's backyard is giving new meaning to the phrase "homegrown" with a botanical bonanza fit for royalty: Buckingham Palace's garden houses over 1,000 trees, including 98 plane trees and 45 different species of mulberry trees, alongside an array of bird species like the common sandpiper, sedge warbler, and lesser whitethroat. Not just for the birds, this versatile garden offers a wisteria-adorned summer house, the colossal Waterloo Vase, and even a tennis court where King George VI once served up a game with Fred Perry in the 1930s.
Source => rct.uk

9. Conquering Water Pipes

The pipes aren't just hidden royalty under the Palace floor: Buckingham Palace's water pipes stretch an impressive 59 meters, dwarfing the White House's measly 36 meters, with a clear 23-meter lead.
Source => numerade.com

Astronomical Timepiece

10. Astronomical Timepiece

As the clock strikes "dawn" and zodiac signs moonwalk on the Blue Drawing room's mantlepiece, it's safe to say time's having the ultimate ball: Buckingham Palace's astronomical clock not only reveals the time of sunrise and sunset, but also the phases of the moon and zodiac positions – adding a side of sass to the once-royal ballroom of King George IV, with a sprinkle of Napoleon-commissioned porcelain table featuring leaders like Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar.
Source => rct.uk

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