Every summer, for the past 27 years, the gates of the Buckingham Palace have been unfailingly opened to visitors for a period of 10 weeks.
However, this year, tourists won’t be able to savor the grandeur of the royal residences, courtesy, none other than the coronavirus pandemic.
Buckingham Palace And Royal Residences Will Be Closed To Visitors This Year
The Royal Collection Trust, in its recent announcement, stated that they will not open the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace to the public this summer as planned because of the current conditions prevailing due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But it’s not just the Buckingham Palace that will be closed. According to the Trust, all the other royal residences, including the Frogmore House (where Meghan Markle and Prince Harry celebrated their evening wedding reception), Prince Charles’ and Camilla’s London residence as well as the Clarence House are also expected to remain shut.
Pointing to the operational challenges of social distancing, the Trust maintains that the safety and wellbeing of their visitors and staff is their first priority and is expected to take the government’s guidance on when and how to open palaces, galleries, shops, and the Royal Mews to the public.
In this endeavor, the trust also plans to refund all the tickets that were booked beforehand by tourists.
Also Read: Here Are Some Weird Virtual Tours From Around The World That Have Caught Our Attention
Do You Know The Real Reason Behind Opening The Royal Residences to The Public?
Not many know that the gates of Buckingham Palace were first opened to the public because of a fateful accident that damaged the Windsor Castle.
In the year 1992, a disastrous fire at Windsor Castle burned 115 rooms to ashes and caused $62 million of damage. While the royals tried to raise money through a public fund, they failed. And it was then that the Queen decided to open the doors of the royal residences to the public.
The public response to this was so massive that within a week, they managed to sell three years’ worth of tickets. Isn’t that crazy?
But fret not people! If you can’t go to the palace, we bring the palace to you! We’ve got the perfect plan to Escape To The Windsor Palace Through This Virtual Tour. Take this, and trust us, you’ll be bowled over!
Also Read: Curly Tales Takes You On A Virtual Tour Of Kolkata