Buckingham Palace is one of the oldest buildings in the world, much older than the White House in Washington DC or the Canadian building Parliament Hill in Ottawa – Canada. It represents the very essence of Great Britain. This majestic palace has withstood fires, bombs and more.
We are proud to present these 16 interesting facts about Buckingham Palace.
1: Buckingham Palace is the official residence and base of the monarch of Great Britain.
2: Buckingham Palace is located in the very centre of London.
3: The Palace was built in 1703 for a duke. It was never meant to be the Queen or King’s place. However, Queen Victoria made Buckingham her place of residence, and the tradition has continued to this day.
4: Edward VII is the only monarch in British history to be born and die in the palace.
5: When the Duke built it, it was called Buckingham House.
6: Between July – September, the Queen (the late Elizabeth II) heads to Scotland for the summer holidays. During this time, Buckingham Palace is open to the public.
7: The Palace’s grounds are enormous, with approximately 39 acres.
8: Edward Jones, a young boy, was deeply in love with Queen Victoria when the Queen was a teenager. Edward broke inside the palace three times, stole the Queen’s underwear, sat on the throne and did other shenanigans.
9: During World War II, German bombs hit the place at least nine times.
10: The place has well over 40,000 light bulbs.
11: Buckingham Palace has around 775 rooms and 78 bathrooms.
12: The place welcomes an estimated 50,000 guests a year.
13: The 28th President, Woodrow Wilson, was the first sitting President of the United States to visit Buckingham Palace.
14: Buckingham Palace has the most extensive private garden in London.
15: Whenever you are outside the palace and see the United Kingdom flag proudly flying at full-staff on top of the palace, that means the King is currently there.
16: Maintaining the place is a lot of work! Over 100 staff work here.