BUCKINGHAM
PALACE
BUCKINGHAM PALACE, which is today the official residence of the
British Monarchy, has served that function only since comparatively recent times.
In the Middle Ages the principal London residence of the kings was the Palace of
Westminster, now rebuilt as the Houses of Parliament.
Today, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh live in the private apartments
on the north side of the palace. In all, Buckingham Palace has 19 state rooms, 52
royal and guest bedrooms, 182 staff rooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. Some
450 people work in the palace and 40,000 people are entertained there every year.
Unlike many other historical monuments, Buckingham Palace remains a fully
occupied, working royal palace and it gives it a particular fascination.
The Queen, as head of state, receives there a large number of formal and informal
visitors, including the Prime Minister at weekly audiences, foreign and British
ambassadors and high commissioners, bishops, and senior officers of the armed
services and civil service.
The highlight of royal entertaining, however, is the state banquet, usually for
about 170 guests, given by the Queen on the first evening of a state visit of a
foreign head of state to the United Kingdom.