Buckingham Palace & Kings Gallery

DETAILED OVERVIEW

Buckingham Palace

The term ‘State Rooms’ is applied 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 King and members of the Royal Family to receive and entertain their guests on State, ceremonial and official occasions.
 
The Palace's nineteen State Rooms predominantly reflect the taste of George IV (r.1820-30), who commissioned the architect John Nash to transform what had previously been known as Buckingham House into a grand palace. Many of the pieces of furniture, sparkling chandeliers, candelabra and other 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 furnished with many of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection, including paintings by Van Dyck and Canaletto, sculpture by Canova, exquisite pieces of Sèvres porcelain, and some of the finest English and French furniture in the world.
 
Many of the other State Rooms also have particular uses today. It is in the Throne Room, for example, that The King, on very special occasions like Jubilees, receives loyal addresses. On 29 April 2011 this room was the setting for the formal photographs following the wedding of The Prince & Princess of Wales. In the Music Room, guests are presented to The King, Queen Consort and the visiting Head of State on the occasion of a State visit. The White Drawing Room, perhaps the grandest of all the State Rooms, serves as a royal reception room for The King and members of the Royal Family to gather before official occasions.
 

The King's Gallery - Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life In Style

To mark the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth, The King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace will play host to the largest exhibition of the late Queen’s fashion ever mounted.
 
Discover the remarkable style of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch through clothing worn in all ten decades of her life - from birth to adulthood, from princess to queen, and from off-duty style to dressing for the global stage for momentous occasions in Britain’s history.
 
Featuring approximately 200 items, many on display for the first time, this is the largest and most comprehensive exhibition of the late Queen’s fashion ever mounted.
 
Alongside clothing, jewellery, hats, shoes and accessories, explore never-before-seen design sketches, fabric samples and handwritten correspondence that reveal the behind-the-scenes process of dressing the most famous woman in the world and shed new light on the late Queen’s close involvement in the creation of her wardrobe.
 
Highlights include her bridesmaid dress, wedding dress, Coronation dress and the ensemble worn for the wedding of Princess Margaret.
 
"In the year that she would have turned 100 years old, this exhibition will be a celebration of Queen Elizabeth's uniquely British style and her enduring fashion legacy."
Caroline de Guitaut, Exhibition Curator and Surveyor of The King’s Works of Art
 
Monday 3 August 2026
Pick ups: Route A2
 
Thursday 20 August 2026
Pick ups: Route B2
 
Saturday 22 August 2026
Pick ups: Route A2
 
Sunday 30 August 2026 - NEW DATE ADDED
Pick ups: Route B2
 
Monday 31 August 2026 - NEW DATE ADDED
Pick ups: Route A2
 
Adult                              £79
Young Person 18-24   £61
Child 5-17                     £54
 
Price includes:
Admission to Buckingham Palace with audio guide
Admission to The King's Gallery Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life In Style Exhibition 
Return coach travel
 
 

PICK-UP POINTS

Below is a list of pick-up points available on this tour. Please note some pick up points may not be served on all departure dates.

USEFUL LINKS

• Buckingham Palace
• The King's Gallery