In the previous list, we covered 10 Most luxurious Houses and Ten Most Beautiful Palaces from around the globe. Today, we bring another set of ‘’Ten Most Magnificent Photos From British Royal Palaces’’.
We all know Queen Elizabeth ii and her royal family are one of the wealthiest royalties the world has ever seen. These men and women of the crown ooze power and smell money. They live in expansive and magnificent palaces that only the genius of architects can conceive.
Though a number of us wish to build and live in such complex haven teeming with servants and security, chances are, we will all die in a small bungalow, fit for a horse stable than a complex mansion fit for the queen.
That said, Buckingham palace, one of the official seat of power of the British nation is a site to behold. Covering an area of 77,000 M2, the palace is graced with 775 rooms, 19 State rooms, 52 Principal bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms and 92 offices along with a whopping 78 bathrooms. As the case with the royal families, extravaganza and luxury take the center stage during constructions and no single cent is spared. Let’s have a look at the golden concrete maze royals call home.
10. Inside the Royal Ballroom, Buckingham Palace
Have you ever seen the ballroom? Well, unless you strike friendship with the royal household, you will never set foot inside the ballroom. Designed as state of art dining area, the Ballroom has hosted a number of state banquets hosted by the queen herself. During dinners, the room as usual teems with servants and food of your choice, along with some of the most expensive wines and champagne you will ever think about.
9. The Grand Staircase, Buckingham Palace
The Grand staircase of Buckingham palace is indeed a wonder to the lay and inexperienced souls. Designed from 1825-1830 by the architect John Nash for the British King George IV, the case features some remarkable composition of acanthus, oak and laurel carefully blended into a fine masterpiece for the king. The results speak for themselves.
8. The Throne Room, St James Palace
Though the British royalty prefer Buckingham to St James palace, the latter was once used as the seat of power for hundreds of years. Though the palace was closed to the public, the queen opted to make a few bucks by renting her out during the Olympic Games for 30,000 pounds a day. It was during this period that the throne room was opened and the public got a good view.
7. The Crimson Drawing Room (Windsor Castle)
On 20 Nov 1992, at around 11 AM, fire ripped through the queen’s private chapel in Windsor Castle and spread undetected by the workers until smoke alarm went off. The fire, that rages for several hours destroyed priceless artifacts, paintings and drawings. By the time it was controlled, nine hours later, huge sections of the castle had been destroyed.
Days later, restoration of the landmark began in earnest with the Queen donating two million pounds. After the restoration, the destroyed Crimson room had a new face altogether. A clear memo fire has no authority over the monarchy.
6. The State Dining Room
The state dining room features expensive and rare gallery. Equipped with the State Of Art furniture, the room is often used as a retreat for dignitaries after banquet from the Ballroom. It has also been used by the queen to record her Christmas messages. Currently, the state room is closed following fears the ceiling would collapse as a result of neglect.
5. The Imperial Corgis
Apart from the royals and a few staff, no one is allowed to wander the depths the palace except the queen’s best companions. The royal corgis have been documented wandering the expansive palace and even hopping on a plane with Ma’am across the continents with a bunch of aides nearby to remove s**t in case they mess up the floor. Oooh, don’t worry about their transportation; they have their own car, a handler and a chauffeur too.
4. The State Couch
The royal state couch is often used but the royal family member on ceremonial occasions such as coronations or royal weddings. Built in 1762 by Samuel Butler, the carriage has seen less of action and reduced popularity among the royals today. Known for its cumbersome weight of 4 tons, she requires a pair of four horses to pull and it doesn’t come cheap. At a price tag of 28M pounds, I bet she is one of the most expensive gold laden horse drawn carriages out there.
3. The Imposing Buckingham Palace
In my opening remark, I jokingly wrote ‘’chances are good we will never build a palace for our better half leave alone Buckingham. To start off with, the palace is 77,000 m2 and surrounded with a garden of 40 acres. It stands 108 M across and 120 M deep. It currently holds 800 employees and thought to be one of the few royal palaces in operation. In market price, it is valued at 1 Billion pounds ($1.5 Billion). Mathematically, Bill gates, the richest man in the globe, with an approximate $ 87 Billion would only build 58 palaces before declaring bankruptcy (without the inner paintings and furniture). Owing to the staggering size of the palace, the Britons have had a hectic time maintaining the palace by paying over 150 million pounds for maintenance.
2. The Private Retreat
Life as a monarchy is challenging. Right from the time you get up, the routine is characterized by receiving visitors, making addresses, getting security intelligence reports before being whisked away by the police to several public meetings closely followed by a quick lunch before meeting ambassadors, foundation and charity heads, paying courtesy call to several institutions before heading home for a bath and hosting investors until late in to the night.
To keep up a good frame, a silent retreat is necessary away from the prying eyes of the public and the battery of journalist demanding to film even the slightest irrelevant move that has seen some royals scream for the elusive privacy.
Fortunately for the Queen, Balmoral castle comes in handy. Used as a private retreat and residence of the monarchy since 1852, the castle takes the pride of housing the queen after the rigorous town life in the Buckingham. Surrounded by vast stretches of land, the castle is an ideal site for pony riding and shooting games popular among the royals.
1. The Swan
In Britain, natural swans in river Thames and Britain are exclusively owned by the queen. In medieval times, they were considered a delicacy of the rich and the king took the slot. Fast forward today, the swans are captured tagged and numbered before being released. Oooh, they are the only animals after corgis that enjoy her majesty’s protection.
Ten Most Magnificent Photos From British Royal Palace
- Inside the Ballroom, Buckingham Palace
- The Grand Staircase
- The Throne Room, St James Palace
- The Crimpson Drawing Room, (Windsor Castle)
- The State Dining Room
- The Imperial Corgis
- The State Couch
- The Imposing Buckingham Palace
- The Private Retreat
- The Swan
Author; Moses Onyango is a Medical Laboratory student at Gusii Institute. He has written several lists for Wonderslist and enjoys flying. Feel free to email him here.