While the Queen spends much of her time these days at Windsor Castle, the magnificent Buckingham Palace remains her official residence.
And the grand surroundings in the heart of London are fit for a, well, queen. But along with the regal opulence and sprawling grounds, comes a surprising secret asset.
The Express reports that since Prince Philip’s passing, Buckingham Palace “became less and less her home from home” a royal expert suggested. Yet there are some secret features the Royal Family’s most iconic home has that the monarch has regularly made the most of.
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Built by the Duke of Buckingham in 1703 as a large townhouse, the imposing palace has 775 rooms compromising 19 staterooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms and 188 staff bedrooms. There are also 92 offices and 78 bathrooms.
The ceiling in the famous ballroom reaches the height of three double-decker buses at 44 feet tall. The Queen used to refer to Buckingham Palace as her “office”, favouring Windsor Castle which is 22 miles away.
As for what’s inside Buckingham Palace, the Channel 5 documentary, Secrets Of The Royal Palaces revealed a few interesting features. It suggested the Queen has her very own cash machine inside, and a Post Office.
Despite the monarch never carrying cash around with her, Coutts, the bank favoured by the royals and millionaires, installed an ATM at the Palace. The building is also home to a staff Post Office, along with a doctor’s surgery which can perform “emergency procedures”.
The Palace used to have a bar apparently, but “they had to get rid” of it because the staff were often “worse for wear”, Dickie Arbiter, former press officer to the Queen claimed. There is also said to be a series of secret tunnels that run beneath Buckingham Palace.
When the Queen Mother and King George VI entered the tunnels, they met a man from Newcastle living in the tunnels. It is not known whether the tunnels are still accessible or what they are used for.
Amongst the staff working at Buckingham Palace, the Royal Family also have a dedicated clockmaker. It is their job to maintain over 350 clocks and watches.
Ensuring that time passes smoothly, two horological conservators wind the clocks at the palace up every week. As for the land around Buckingham Palace, it is the largest private garden in all of London.
The garden features a tennis court, lake and even a helicopter landing. The gardens are also open to the public for a few weeks every summer.
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