{"id":2322590,"date":"2026-03-11T05:25:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T05:25:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2322590"},"modified":"2026-03-11T05:25:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T05:25:19","slug":"the-east-wing-tour-of-buckingham-palace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/the-east-wing-tour-of-buckingham-palace\/","title":{"rendered":"The East Wing Tour of Buckingham Palace"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

Last December, I received an email from the Royal Collections about an upcoming tour of Buckingham Palace’s East Wing.\u00a0 Tours were scheduled for late January through March.\u00a0 We were also given an opportunity to purchase tickets before the general sale.\u00a0 I hemmed and hawed for several days before a friend reminded me:\u00a0 we go around the sun only once.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Oops … I hit the Order button – February 20 at 1:45 p.m.\u00a0 \u00a0My credit card was charged, which meant three things: cash in air miles; book a hotel, and the Heathrow Express.<\/p>\n

I flew out of National Airport (rather than Dulles on American Airlines to JFK on February 18, arriving at 6:30 in the morning. First stop was Cafe Nero (Terminal 3) for an extra-strong coffee and a pain au chocolat.\u00a0 Check in at The Hub by Premier Inn at Camden Town, which was not too far from where I stayed in June at an Airbnb.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Camden Town is by Regent’s Canal, and is a cool, edgy place with pubs, breweries (Camden Pale Ale is one of my favorite beers), and restaurants.\u00a0 It is on the Northern Line.<\/p>\n

Heathrow Express to Elizabeth Line (Tottenham Court Road), changed to the Northern Line to Camden Town.\u00a0 A few minutes’ walk to the hotel, which offers early check-in for \u00a315.00.\u00a0 Thank goodness.<\/p>\n

Turn on the TV in my room:\u00a0 Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested.\u00a0 Definitely not on my bingo card.\u00a0 \u00a0Thursday was a quiet day, so I spent a few hours riveted by the coverage before heading out to Fortnum & Mason for lunch and Hatchards, where I bought several new books.<\/p>\n

I have endured brutally cold, subfreezing temperatures for weeks, combined with a snowstorm that turned into icy rain.\u00a0 It took 2 1\/2 weeks for the ice to melt on my skylights.\u00a0 Snow can be shoveled. Ice can’t. Four days after the storm, a friend dug my car out.\u00a0 I was not permitted to do such things, as I had fallen off a ladder on my balcony a week earlier.\u00a0 The ladder had two steps.\u00a0 I am fine. No bruises, no fractures, but no one wanted me trying to dig out the ice.\u00a0 \u00a0It was an order from several friends.<\/p>\n

There are still remnants of icebergs (piled ice\/snow) in parking lots, even with warmer temperatures, though they did not last long.\u00a0 More freezing temperatures, a little more snow, but it could hit nearly 80 degrees on Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was lovely to see color and cute ducks and geese.<\/p>\n

In the evening, I had dinner at Belushi’s on Borough High Street, near London Bridge, where I was able to watch the Long Program (Ladies’ Figure Skating). A group of students from George Washington University was at the next table watching the Women’s Gold Medal Game.\u00a0 \u00a0The two Gold Medals were less than 50\u00a0<\/p>\n

The trip to Buckingham Palace was on Friday, February 20th.\u00a0 \u00a0I visited the Palace for the State Apartments in September 2023.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com\/2023\/10\/day-3-and-4-its-time-for-palace.html<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Before my tour, I spent time communing with nature in St. James’s Park, enjoying crocuses, daffodils, and ducks.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

My ticket was for 1:45 p.m.\u00a0 \u00a0 The entrance is through the North Gate to the Forecourt.\u00a0 \u00a0If you are facing the Palace (the East Wing), the entrance is on the right.\u00a0 \u00a0You go through the gate, passing several friendly policemen with rather large weapons, and walk across a path to a door on the right.\u00a0 \u00a0A member of Buckingham Palace staff checked my name off on the tour list.<\/p>\n

Only 20 people per tour.\u00a0 We went into a temporary coat room to hang up our coats and put our bags, cameras, and phones away in a secure place until the end of the tour.\u00a0 There is no opportunity to take pictures,<\/p>\n

Our guide, who wore the Buckingham Palace uniform, was well-informed and funny.\u00a0 The coat room, which I think is an office on the non-tour days, has a desk in the corner.\u00a0 \u00a0A painting by the desk caught my attention.\u00a0 It was of the future Edward VII’s baptism.<\/p>\n

We walked up the stairs, and the first portrait I spotted was a young Victoria by Franz Xaver Winterhalter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
@Royal Collection<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Queen Victoria financed the building of Buckingham Palace by selling King George IV’s Brighton Pavilion.\u00a0 Before the sale, the queen took possession of the palace’s furniture, art, fittings, and wallpaper, as she expected her uncle’s folly to be torn down. It wasn’t.\u00a0 The East Wing is filled with Uncle George’s chinoiserie and Chinese treasures.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/brightonmuseums.org.uk\/discovery\/history-stories\/the-gayest-and-most-splendid-colours-george-iv-proudly-embraces-his-feminine-side-at-brightons-royal-pavilion\/<\/a><\/p>\n

The first room on the tour is the Chinese Dining Room.\u00a0 The dining table is now in the Yellow Drawing Room, which is also on the tour.\u00a0 \u00a0 The King often uses the Chinese Drawing Room for meetings.\u00a0 Four chairs were set up for a meeting.\u00a0 Our guide pointed to a clock on a table.\u00a0 The king will sit in a chair facing that clock to keep time during the meeting and know when to end it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most of the tour was spent in the Principal Corridor.\u00a0 We were told that if staff or others come through, we need to stand to the side.\u00a0 That makes sense — and it did happen several times.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The Principal Corridor is long.\u00a0 The walls feature numerous family portraits, including one I wanted to take home: the Duchess of Cambridge (Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel) and her two elder children, Prince George and Princess Augusta.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>Melchior Gommar Tieleman (1784-1864) @Royal Collection<\/p>\n

There were also portraits of King Leopold I, the Duke of Cambridge, King George V, and Queen Mary.\u00a0 One of the most interesting paintings was William Powell Frith’s\u00a0The Marriage of the Prince of Wales with Princess Alexandra of Denmark, which was recently conserved and restored.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Marriage of the Prince of Wales with Princess Alexandra of Denmark\u00a0 \u00a0@Royal Collection Trust<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Queen Victoria is quite conspicuous at the top right of the portrait.<\/p>\n

Leaving the Principal Corridor, we entered the penultimate room: the Yellow Drawing Room.\u00a0 More of George IV’s collection is on display here, including the dining room table from the Chinese Dining Room, the first room on the tour.\u00a0 The room is named for the Yellow Silk, which was on the original walls in 1850.\u00a0 In the late 1920s, Queen Mary replaced the yellow silk with Chinese wallpaper from the palace’s storage, which had once been used in the Brighton Pavilion’s Saloon.\u00a0 \u00a0Today, the curtains and upholstered chairs are made of yellow silk.<\/p>\n

The guide brought us back into the Principal Corridor to the middle, where he and a young girl on the tour opened the door to the Centre Room.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0This room was one known as the Tapestry Drawing Room.\u00a0 In the 1920s, Queen Mary redecorated the room in a “Chinese vein,” and it was renamed the Centre Room.<\/p>\n

The Centre Room is where members of the Royal Family go to the balcony.\u00a0 There are three doors.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

We were allowed to walk right up to the doors and peek out, but were reminded not to touch the security curtains.\u00a0 We can see out, but the tourists cannot see us.\u00a0 Looking through the windows offered an interesting perspective as the royals walked out to the balcony.\u00a0 It is not very big, which makes you wonder how so many members of the family fit comfortably to watch the Flyover after the Trooping.<\/p>\n

The Victoria Memorial blocks the King and his family’s view of the crowds walking toward the Palace for the balcony appearance.\u00a0 It offers a different perspective.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

When I am there in June, standing outside the Palace, I am going to look up to see the chandelier which can be seen from the middle door.<\/p>\n

The Centre Room was the end of the tour.\u00a0 Our guide brought us back down to the room with the coat racks and the bag check.\u00a0 I spotted a painting and asked the guide if I could see it up close.\u00a0 He moved one of the coat racks so I could have a better view of Sir George Hayter’s\u00a0The Christening of The Prince of Wales.\u00a0 I smiled and said thank you.<\/p>\n

Yes, I waved from the window …. as did everyone else on the tour.\u00a0 \u00a0 No one outside could see us waving due to the security curtains.\u00a0 \u00a0A walk across the courtyard and out the gate.\u00a0 Several tourists were interested in the people leaving the palace.\u00a0 \u00a0One asked me why I was in the palace.\u00a0 Oh, I was on a tour of the East Wing, including seeing the balcony.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0https:\/\/www.rct.uk\/event\/east-wing-exclusive-guided-tour-10-2025<\/a>\u00a0.\u00a0 The link includes a video highlighting the East Wing.<\/p>\n

Those of us on the tour were told that our tickets would get us a 10% discount in the Buckingham Palace shop (on the same day).\u00a0 I walked to the shop and bought a new guidebook, which does not include the East Wing.<\/p>\n

Ashley Hicks’ Buckingham Palace: The Interiors is perhaps the only recent book to include photographs of the East Wing (taken before the restoration began).<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

https:\/\/amzn.to\/4usen2I<\/a>\u00a0(US)<\/p>\n

https:\/\/amzn.to\/3PdwmJQ<\/a>\u00a0(UK)<\/p>\n

https:\/\/royalbooknews.blogspot.com\/2019\/02\/buckingham-palace-interiors-by-ashley.html<\/a><\/p>\n

After lunch and before the tour, I spent some time in St. James’s Park — and it was a true clusterduck:<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
First two photos – Hatchards<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The crocuses brought a smile to my face —\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
a determined squirrel<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
I am sure I buried the nut here<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Success<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

+<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Taken before I went inside<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
You can have afternoon tea on a bus!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Elizabeth Tower, which hosts the Great Bell (Big Ben)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

Afterward, I headed back to the hotel in Camden Town, stopping at M&S for a salad, dessert, and a bottle of water.\u00a0 I ate dinner in my room and then went to the theatre to see a wonderful production of The Producers <\/i>at the Garrick Theatre.<\/p>\n

I also saw the Marie Antoinette exhibit at the V&A on Saturday.\u00a0 More about that visit in another post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 Last December, I received an email from the Royal Collections about an upcoming tour of Buckingham Palace’s East Wing.\u00a0 Tours were scheduled for late January through March.\u00a0 We were also given an opportunity to purchase tickets before the general sale.\u00a0 I hemmed and hawed for several days before a friend reminded me:\u00a0 we go […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2322591,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2322590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-royalty"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-East-Wing-Tour-of-Buckingham-Palace.JPG","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2322590"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322590\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2322592,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322590\/revisions\/2322592"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2322591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2322590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2322590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2322590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}