Queen Elizabeth II’s Unseen And Concealed Rooms Within Buckingham Palace

May 17, 2021 by apost team

Buckingham Palace is one of the most wondrous buildings for many people because of its extravagance and grandeur. The building has a rich history and remains one of the top destinations for travelers to visit. From the outside, the palace is an incredible building that never fails to amaze, but only certain people have had the privilege of seeing it from the inside and even fewer who know the intricacies from the inside. 

The queen has lived in Buckingham Palace since 1952. The palace has a whopping 755 rooms, which consist of 19 State Rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms in total according to The Richest. This truly is the epitome of extravagance, but did you know that the palace also is home to many kinds of rooms and secret entrances? Many of the rooms also have a historical significance and are also there to protect the queen. 

Recently, however, Princess Diana's former butler Paul Burrell has claimed that the queen will never return to Buckingham Palace and will stay in her residence at Windsor Castle according to Express UK. He stated that the queen would remain at Windsor Castle for "the rest of her life" because his belief was that Buckingham Palace was too busy and lacked the charm of the more rural home. Moreover, the late Prince Philip is buried at Windsor Castle, and the queen wants to be closer to him.

Even if Elizabeth chooses to live away from London, the regal Buckingham Palace will always remain a symbol for the queen and her long and dedicated duty towards her royal subjects in the United Kingdom. 

The Richest reported that in the summer, the State Rooms in the palace are open to the public for tours and according to the official Royal website, more than 50,000 people visit as guests to State banquets, lunches, dinners, receptions and garden parties. However, much of the Elizabeth’s home is off-limits and only open to the most integral members of the family. The public may have seen the lavish State Rooms and incredible picture gallery inside, there are a number of hidden rooms that are only for royal eyes, privileged guests or members of staff. 

Hello Magazine reported that the following rooms are some of the surprising, and concealed rooms in Buckingham Palace: 

The Cinema Room

Like many celebrities, the queen has her own home cinema situated in the palace! However, it is mostly for staff use rather than for the royal family themselves. BBC journalist Emily Maitlis revealed that the palace had a cinema when she writing for The Times, "The floor is being transformed by palace workmen. It looks for a minute as if railway tracks are going down. She then spoke to a staff member, who told her, "It's for the Buckingham Palace cinema. All the people who work here come along. It's Judy tonight if you want to stay."

The Chapel

There is a private chapel at Buckingham Palace, which was created by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1844. However, it was destroyed in a German bombing raid in 1940, and according to the magazine, it has now been relocated within the south-eastern part of the palace.  

apost.com

The Secret Entrance

The Sun reported that the grand White Drawing Room in the State Rooms of the palace actually has a secret doorway that leads to the queen's private state apartments. The entrance is disguised as a mirror and cabinet and is generally concealed from view, and it is through which the Queen makes her entrance ahead of audiences and small gatherings. It also allows the queen to make an entrance without having to walk through all of the different palace rooms, which saves her a lot of time and effort. 

The Doctor's Office 

The doctor's office at the palace is run by the queen's GP, Dr. Timothy Evans. Hello Magazine reported that it offers NHS healthcare to royal staff who work in the palace, but the members of the royal family reportedly prefer to be treated privately.

The Post Office

The Royal Mail runs the post office that is located at Buckingham Palace, and the 800 members of the royal staff have access to use it. IWM has a photo of what it used to look like in 1941, but we are sure that the room has changed drastically since then! 

An Indoor Swimming Pool

The palace houses a full-sized swimming pool that can be used by both staff and members of the royal family. Prince George learned how to swim at this very pool with private swimming lessons, and it is likely that his younger siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis have also learned to swim here. 

The Buckingham Palace certainly has a lot of interesting rooms to offer!  

Did you know that Buckingham Palace had so many types of rooms? Tell us what you think about this extravagant building, and be sure to let others know about how amazing Buckingham Palace is.