🏰 Buckingham Palace - The FULL Tour of King Charles III Royal Residence (Coronation) London Guide 🏰

Hi guys, welcome to another episode of Ultimate Bucket List. And on today's show, I'm going to be showing you around Buckingham Palace. And unlike some of the other YouTube fraudsters out there, I'm actually going to show you around the inside. No, really. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the residence of the Queen. Buckingham Palace is the most famous royal property in the world. With over 775 rooms, at least 200 bedrooms and 92 offices, it's the largest of the royal palaces. But even though millions of people visit it every year, they mainly just walk around the gates and take pictures from the outside. Very few people actually step foot inside the palace itself. Well today, I'm one of the lucky ones. So what's it like to go around the most famous palace in all of the free world? Follow me, your trusty tour guide, and let's find out. The main road that leads to Buckingham Palace is the Mall. You've probably seen this on TV many times before. It's where the royal processions take place, and where you can watch the Changing of the Guards ceremony, which happens at 11 o'clock most days. Check out my future video right here. Right outside, you'll find the Victoria Memorial. A statue commemorating the life of Queen Victoria. It's cool to check it out before the tour, and it affords you the best spot to take pictures and videos of the palace. What you're seeing right now is known as the East Front of the palace. Contrary to popular belief, the Queen isn't behind that window over there. The only time she does venture here to the East Front, is to stand on the balcony to wave to the public. Speaking of which, look up at the flagpole over there. If the royal standard is flying high, it means that she's actually here. If the Union Jack is up there, it means that she's not at home. So you can instantly tell if she's at the palace or not. Most people just hang around the gates and act like complete tourists, but we're actually going inside. So you'll need to go to the left here, and the public entrance to Buckingham Palace is here at Buckingham Gate. Not the front bits full of tourists and posers. If you don't have tickets, you'll need to buy them here at Gate A. Good luck with that. Buckingham Palace is incredibly popular, and tickets are sold months in advance. If you have pre-booked tickets, your entrance is here at Gate C. You'll probably be in a long queue to actually get in. Before they let you any further, they'll security check you, airport styley, before they let you into the palace itself. Pick up your complimentary audio guide right here at the desk, and then meander down a few corridors, where you'll enter the first part of Buckingham Palace. This is the quadrangle. This is basically the courtyard of Buckingham Palace. As you can see from the videos here, quite a lot of it is under reconstruction at the moment, so it's nothing really to write home about. But then you'll head into what's known as the Grand Entrance. And what an entrance this is. This is the place where you will officially enter Buckingham Palace as an official invited guest. Full of crimson red, and gold, and white everywhere. You'll then get led up the Grand Staircase, and once again, it's a pretty amazing staircase. Many of the world's most important people have come up these stairs, and it's pretty surreal to actually follow in the footsteps of former kings, presidents, and heads of state. Right at the top of the stairs is this foyer with portraits of former monarchs of the country. And the ceiling detail here is pretty amazing too. From the foyer, you'll be led into the Green Drawing Room. It's called that because the walls are green, but the things you'll probably notice more are the lavish paintings, the ornate furniture, the incredibly decorative antiques, and the crystal chandeliers that storm this room. Contrary to popular belief, the Green Drawing Room is actually used more as a waiting room before you meet the monarch. Because the room next door is where you'll actually do that. This is the Throne Room. Any function that requires the queen to wear the crown on her head happens here. Traditionally, this is the place where you would be knighted, but that now happens in a separate room that we'll go into later. But check out the chandeliers, the ceiling detail, everything is decked out in red and gold, and the thrones themselves? They've got the initials of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. R.I.P. Prince Philip. A really, really spectacular room. You'll then enter this peach-coloured walkway. This is none other than the famous Picture Gallery, which houses the royal family's collection of art. You'll notice some of the most famous paintings in the world displayed on these walls. Rembrandt's, Vermeer's, and paintings of other Dutch masters. If you're not really into art, it kind of is a bit lost on you. But if you know roughly anything to do with art, it's actually quite a nice art gallery in itself. Even though you're not in an art gallery. Keep walking further until the walls turn grey, and now you're in the East Gallery. Again, it's a small collection of royal artwork. I'm particularly fond of the antiques on display and the paintings of Queen Victoria, which I like very, very much. You'll then be led into what's known as the Ball Supper Room. Traditionally, this is where the Queen will dine intimately with other members of her family. But at the moment, it's currently an exhibition of the Queen's personal jewellery. You'll get to see many things, such as the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara. But the most famous piece that you'll probably see here is the Diamond Diadem. This is the Queen's personal crown that she wears for the opening of Parliament and anywhere where her official portrait is required, such as on postage stamps and on our money. It's a nice exhibition of the Queen's personal jewellery. But once you exit the Ball Supper Room, you'll enter the largest and grandest room here at Buckingham Palace. This is the Grand Ballroom. Traditionally built as a ballroom for dancing and parties, it's now more used to entertain dignitaries from around the world. So if a royal banquet is happening, it will usually be hosted here. As you can imagine, it takes a whole army of people to prepare this place for a state banquet. But there's one other important thing that happens here. Right at the end of the room, you'll notice two chairs and a lectern. Because this is the place where investitures happen, i.e. where you are knighted by the Queen or a member of her royal family. And this happens literally right here. So if you are being knighted, the procedure is thus. You'll be called forward where you will turn and face the Queen. You'll need to bow, or curtsy if you're a lady, before kneeling with your right knee on the stool here. She will tap you with a sword on the right shoulder and left shoulder before telling you to arise, announcing your name and she will award you with your award. She will then make small talk with you for about 10 to 15 seconds before shaking your hand. You retreat back three steps, bow or curtsy again, before exiting stage left. And there you have it. From commoner to knight in less than a minute. Not that any of these bored looking tourists are aware, which is a shame. You'll then come across what's known as the state dining room. The biggest thing you'll notice is the red walls, the white and gold everywhere, and the fact that this is the room that the Queen personally likes to dine in herself. The ceiling detail is very unique and spend some time looking at absolutely everything in here. It's an amazing room. The next up is the blue drawing room, which doesn't really look all that blue. Because of the amount of crystal and gold and white and marble on display, it doesn't look very blue at all. But if you look carefully, this room is used to entertain groups of dignitaries. At the end of the blue drawing room, you'll find the music room. Even though it's called the music room and there's a grand piano on display right in the middle, it's actually more used for the christening of royal babies. So in theory, this should be called the christening room. But what do I know? But if you're meeting the Queen one-on-one, face-to-face in private, this will happen right here at the white drawing room. This famous room, decked out in white and gold, is the spot where the Queen will generally meet with very important people, such as the President of the United States and monarchs of other countries. Complete with Queen Victoria's gold piano and priceless antiques, it's an amazing room. But behind this unassuming bureau lies the Queen's quote-unquote secret personal entrance. From her apartment, she can actually access this room from behind the mirror here. But it's not so secret anymore because everybody knows and the fact that they've actually left it open means that it's not really a secret. Still pretty nice though. You'll then meander through the ante room, not much to see in here, before going down the minister steps and back onto the ground floor. You'll then enter the marble hall and as the name suggests, it's full of marble statues and artwork. It's a very nice hall indeed that leads to the final room that you'll see here at Buckingham Palace, the bow room. Traditionally, this is used as an indoor meeting place if you're attending any function at Buckingham Palace, particularly the garden parties. For you, this is pretty much the end of the tour. But don't turn off the video just yet because there's plenty more to see here at Buckingham Palace. Right guys, you're halfway through the video and it's competition time and I'm giving you the chance to win this free bag of memorabilia that I've just bought at the Buckingham Palace shop. Stick around to the end of the video to find out more, but in the meantime, back to the video. As an ordinary member of the public, you don't have access to any other part of Buckingham Palace. But what you can do is have afternoon tea here. So if you feel like partaking in the great British tradition in the heart of Buckingham Palace, you can do. The caterers here are the same ones that supply the palace itself. And even though the food looks lovely and the prices are reasonable enough, you'll be spending forever in the queue. It took me 25 minutes just to grab a latte, but do you know what? I'm probably going to be here once in my life. I might as well take advantage while I can. You can actually pay for a separate tour of Buckingham Palace's gardens. And the meeting point is literally right here where you exited the palace. The Palace Gardens is where the Queen officially hosts her garden parties. At select times throughout the year, ordinary members of the public, like me and you, can be invited to meet the Queen and members of her royal family. If you're lucky enough to be invited to a Buckingham Palace garden party, it's supposed to be an exceptional shindig. This lawn also acts as the de facto helipad for Buckingham Palace. So if the President of the United States wants to drop on by, he'll park his helicopter right here. You'll notice that most of the walkways are canopied so that people can't spy on you from above. After walking past the Queen's swimming pool, which you can't see, and the Queen's actual apartments, which you can't go into, you'll go into the Queen's private garden. This is the part of the gardens that she frequents herself. Apparently, she's incredibly fastidious in keeping the garden a specific way. She wants the garden to be more accessible to animals and insects rather than for humans, which kind of makes sense. Apparently, she's an expert in all things flora and fauna, and she could give Sir David Attenborough here a run for his money. When you walk through it yourself, admittedly, it's a little disappointing. If you didn't know that this is the Queen's private garden, you'll think that you're just at your local park at home. There's nothing really special about it. I mean, yes, the flower beds are really nice, the rose gardens are okay, and it's very well manicured for sure. There's a few things that the Queen has been given as gifts that are on display in her garden, but overall, it's a pretty average looking garden, and a pretty average garden tour at best. Case in point, this is the Queen's personal tennis court. That you can see on Google Maps, but you can't see whilst you're actually here. So if you've only got a short amount of time, skip the palace garden tour, you won't be missing all that much. Before you leave Buckingham Palace for good, and oh, hello beautiful girl, two beautiful girls, oh great. Where was I? Oh yeah, before you leave Buckingham Palace for good, check out the Buckingham Palace shop. You can buy royal themed gifts, like Buckingham Palace port wine, which is actually made in Portugal, kitchenware, jewellery, and all the typical tourist attack. You'll actually walk through the palace gardens to exit anyway, which kind of smart that I just paid for a tour of it, and you'll be let out on the street around the corner from the Queen's gallery. This is the Royal Family's personal collection of artwork, and they have new themed exhibitions every few months. As you can tell from these clips, it's currently Japan themed, so these are all art and artefacts that the Royal Family have received from the country of Japan. Once you go in, you'll be security checked, again, before accessing this lovely staircase where you can pick up your free audio guide. And don't get me wrong, I do like Japanese art and history, especially as it pertains to weaponry such as samurai swords, which I have my own collection of. It's all very nice, but it's got nothing to do with the Royal Family, other than the fact that they own this stuff. If you've come all the way to London to experience royal attractions, you might be a little disappointed with the Queen's gallery. Hopefully, next month, it'll have something a little bit more relevant. When you go down the stairs, you'll probably find more relevancy in the actual gift shop, where you can, once again, buy lots of royal themed paraphernalia, and, oh my goodness, how much is it for a teapot? Yikes! But your day at Buckingham Palace isn't finished there, because down the street from Buckingham Gate lies the Royal Muse. This is where all the Queen's horses and all the Queen's carriages are located. And most tourists generally avoid going in here, but it's definitely worth checking out. You'll get to meet some of the Queen's horses. This is Castle Jordan, and that over there is Meg. Shut up, Meg. You'll see where they get trained, and you'll see where everything is stored. Now, you can guide yourself around the Royal Muse at your leisure, if you want, using the free of charge audio guide. But, if you've got a bit of time, hang around and take part in one of the many guided tours that happen during the day. This tour guide right here, his name was Phil. He was excellent. And if you do come here, look out for him and his guided tour. The tour guide will show you around the Royal Family's collection of carriages. Such as the Semi-State Landau, which is used to transport dignitaries other than the Royal Family. The Irish State Coach, the personal coach of Queen Victoria. The Scottish State Coach, which is the one the monarch rides when they're in Scotland. The Queen Alexandra State Coach, which is primarily used to transport the Crown Jewels. The Glass Coach, it's a bit of a misnomer because it's mainly used for Royal Weddings, specifically to transport the bride. And in a room all by itself, is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Coach. This is the preferred coach of Queen Elizabeth II. This coach looks like a relic, but it has modern technology. Hydraulic suspension, air conditioning, CCTV cameras so that the Queen can spy on you. And all of the other things that a typical Royal carriage has. Gold leafing, crystal lanterns, diamond encrusted handles. You know, the usual. They'll also show you a selection of the vehicles that the Queen personally either drives herself or is driven around in. She generally favours Bentleys and Rolls Royces and her personal vehicles don't have number plates because she's the Queen and doesn't need them. You'll get a short talk about the inner workings of the Royal Muse and the fact that it's still a working stables today. Speaking of which, you'll actually get to walk in the working stables themselves. Currently, most of the horses are actually on their summer holidays. I'm honestly not joking about that. Which means that all the stalls are pretty much empty. Save for some authentic hay and horse poop. But that's actually a good thing because they've staged a mock carriage so that you can pretend to be the Queen for photos and videos and dress up as a coachman if you want to. In here is also where you'll learn how the horses are tacked and prepared, the uniforms of the specific people who perform specific jobs for the Queen are. It's all very, very interesting. But here at the Royal Muse, they've saved the best thing for last. Because right at the end of the room here is the most priceless royal vehicle of them all. It's none other than the one, the only, Her Majesty's Gold State Coach. Almost nine metres long and four metres high. Four tonnes of gold encrusted steel, requiring eight winter grey horses to draw. This is the most priceless vehicle in the Royal Collection and is used for the coronation of every monarch since the 1700s. The detail on this thing is exquisite. Queen Elizabeth herself has described the Gold State Coach as Horrible. It's not meant for travelling in at all. I mean, it's just not, it's only sprung on leather. Yeah, apparently she hates riding in this thing. But when you're the head of the Commonwealth and defender of the faith, you have to put up with doing some very uncomfortable things. And that's pretty much the end of the Royal Muse. But before you go, guess what? There's a gift shop, but it's not a very big one and you're better off buying your souvenirs inside Buckingham Palace itself. So guys, I've just finished my day here at Buckingham Palace and I've got to say, it definitely was worth the money. It was pretty amazing to see all the things that I've seen on TV before up close and personal. And if you are visiting central London, I recommend that you make this the number one thing that you book when you're planning your trip here to London. If you need any additional help, of course, feel free to check out my very popular video guide right here. Okay, Nin, I'm sold. What do I need to do? Well, you need to come here to Buckingham Palace. It's centrally located here in London within easy walking distance of Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. If you're arriving via the tube system, the nearest two tube stations are Green Park Tube Station and St. James' Park Tube Station, both of which are about a five minute walk away from Buckingham Palace. If you want to arrive via the bus, that's okay. I'll leave the bus numbers on the screen there. And every taxi driver in the city knows where this place is. The one thing I definitely don't recommend that you do is drive here yourself. Not just because the traffic is terrible, but because there's nowhere really to park around here. To buy tickets, you'll need to go on the RCT website, www.rct.uk and check the availability there. Please note that the state rooms and palace gardens are only open when the Queen is officially not in residence. And that's mostly during the six weeks of summer between the end of July and September and select days throughout the year. So you really have to check the website in order to make sure that it's available and open. If the state rooms aren't open whilst you're here in London, that's okay. You can visit the Royal Muse and the Queen's Gallery all year round and you can still book tickets via the website. The cost? Well, if you want to do absolutely everything, it might cost you a little bit. I did all four things here at Buckingham Palace and it cost me about £66 thereabouts. I'll leave the separate ticket prices on the screen there. If you're running short on time, I highly recommend that you just do the state rooms and possibly the Royal Muse. You can leave out the other two bits and you won't be missing all that much. The best value ticket is the Royal Day Out, which encompasses the state rooms, the Royal Muse and the Queen's Gallery. So that's highly recommended. Is there anything else I need to know? Yes. If you're coming to Buckingham Palace during the summer months, the beginning of summer is always busier than the end of summer. So if you've got flexible dates that you can come to the palace whenever you want, come towards the end of the summer when it's not so busy and the ticket availability is a lot better. Also, photography and videography is strictly forbidden whilst you're in the state rooms and the palace gardens, but you're free to take as many photos and videos as you like at the Royal Muse and the Queen's Gallery. You'll be waiting around a lot. You'll be waiting to get in, you'll be waiting to be security checked, you'll be waiting for a simple cup of coffee. So bear in mind that Buckingham Palace is a busy place and you might be queuing and hanging around for quite a bit of time. If you're planning to visit Buckingham Palace more than once this year, have your ticket stamped at the exit because it allows you free entry for up to a year. And finally, whilst there's no official dress code to enter Buckingham Palace, it helps to not dress like a complete slob. So wear what you want, but bear in mind you are entering the House of the Queen. So guys, that was my complete video guide to what to see here at Buckingham Palace and I hope you've enjoyed this video and if you have, please be sure to like, share and subscribe. Comment on the comment section below if you've got any questions of course and if you've got any other suggestions for bucket list ideas, you know what to do, tweet them at me. If I get enough suggestions, I'll go ahead and do that. But otherwise, from here at Buckingham Palace, we'll see you in the next episode. Right, it's competition time guys and I'm giving you the chance to win this Buckingham Palace goodie bag which consists of the official Buckingham Palace guide, a platinum jubilee yearbook with matching key ring, this rather fetching Buckingham Palace apron, a corgi, all encased in this royal red bag. To enter, just follow the link in the description below. I'll pick out a winner at random in a couple of months time and send this prize to anywhere in the world. Help me out by sharing this video and win yourself some goodies at the same time. Good luck. Pass me, just come walk past me. What a dick. Thank you, bye-bye now, bye-bye. Manchester, Manchester United.