Royal secrets: 10 little-known facts about Buckingham Palace

1

The English statesman John Sheffield received the title of Duke of Buckingham in 1703 and the year, and at the same time built Buckingham House as a place to stay during his visits to London. In 1820, architect John Nash built another three around the main building, which today represent Buckingham Palace.

2

The palace passed into the possession of the royal family in 1761: George III paid 21,000 pounds (3 million pounds by today's standards) to buy it for his wife, Queen Charlotte, who gave birth in the palace to 14 of her 15 children . Nevertheless, the first monarch who formally named Buckingham Palace as the royal residence was Victoria. She moved there after her coronation in 1837.

Photo: royal.gov.uk

3

Known in the press as a boy Jones, a teenager Edward Jones was caught three times at Buckingham Palace during the reign of Queen Victoria (probably waded into the castle more times). The guy stole the food, the queen's underwear and claimed that he was sitting on the throne. The palace guards caught Jones and sent to Brazil. When he fled from there and returned to England, he was imprisoned for six years, and then sent to Australia, where he worked as a herald.

4

In addition to the royal family, 800 people work in Buckingham Palace to monitor the cleanliness and order in the house. Including in the palace there is even such a position as a sentry. His job is to check daily for more than 350 hours, which should tick at the same time.

Photo: royal.gov.uk

5

The biggest and beautifully decorated room of the palace is the ballroom. Its length is 36 meters, and the width is 18 meters. The first celebration took place on the occasion of the end of the Crimean War.

6

Buckingham Palace has its own post office, a cinema, a swimming pool, a police station and a gallery with works by Rubens and Rembrandt.

Photos: edition.cnn.com

7

When Elizabeth II is in the palace, the royal standard rises above the roof.

8

The balcony of Buckingham Palace is perhaps the most famous in the world. For the first time he gained fame when Queen Victoria stepped on him during the celebration of the opening of the World Exhibition in 1851. And George VI introduced the tradition of leaving the whole royal family on the balcony during the Trooping the Color parade.

Photo: metro.co.uk

9

During World War II, George VI and Queen Elizabeth refused to leave Buckingham Palace, which made the monarch's residence the most attractive target for bombing. The palace suffered from nine direct hits of bombs, one of which destroyed the Clock Tower.

10

Anyone can visit Buckingham Palace from August to September, when the queen leaves the residence. The decision to open it for visitors was made in 1992, when funds were needed for the reconstruction of the Windsor Castle, which suffered from the fire. And in 2009, when the queen asked the government to finance repairs in the palace, parliamentarians suggested that she extend the open days even at a time when the royal family is in residence.

Photo: world-placez.blogspot.com