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It's that time of year again... when Buckingham Palace throws open its doors to the public.
As one of the few working palaces remaining in the world, Buckingham Palace serves as both the office and the official London residence of His Majesty the King, as well as the administrative headquarters of the entire Royal Household.
The Summer Opening allows you to see the most lavishly decorated State Rooms where official functions are held, all decorated with treasures from the Royal Collection.
The self-guided tour will start inside the Quadrangle and take you through the Grand Entrance, then up the Grand Staircase to the Ball Supper Room and Ballroom (where they hold the investitures). As you walk along you'll be learning the history of the palace on some headphones.
After a special exhibition in the Ballroom you'll move onto the State Dining Room, Blue Drawing Room, Music Room and White Drawing Room, followed by the Picture Gallery with its paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Vermeer and Canaletto.
Then it's into the spectacular Throne Room and down the Minister's Staircase to the Marble Hall, Bow Room, and out onto the veranda which overlooks the large garden lawn (where they hold the garden parties).
During the Garden Highlights part of the tour you'll get to see the beautiful Herbaceous Border, the Summer House, Rose Garden, Waterloo Vase and tennis court where King George VI played Fred Perry in the 1930s.
Craig has been to the Summer Opening numerous times and ranks it as one of the Top 25 things to do in London. One of the things that he enjoys the most is having a cup of tea on the veranda at the end. How many people can say they've sipped a cup of Earl Grey tea at Buckingham Palace?
