Buckingham Palace

==History==

===Pre-1624===
In the [[Middle Ages]], the site of the future palace formed part of the Manor of Ebury (also called [[Eia]]). The marshy ground was watered by the river [[Tyburn (stream)|Tyburn]], which still flows below the courtyard and south wing of the palace.<ref>Goring, p. 15.</ref> Where the river was fordable (at Cow Ford), the village of Eye Cross grew. Ownership of the site changed hands many times; owners included [[Edward the Confessor]] and [[Edith of Wessex]] in late Saxon times, and, after the [[Norman conquest of England|Norman Conquest]], [[William the Conqueror]]. William gave the site to [[Geoffrey de Mandeville (11th century)|Geoffrey de Mandeville]], who bequeathed it to the monks of [[Westminster Abbey]].{{efn|The topography of the site and its ownership are dealt with in Wright, chapters 1–4.}}

In 1531, [[Henry VIII]] acquired the Hospital of St James, which became [[St James's Palace]],<ref>Goring, p. 28.</ref> from [[Eton College]], and in 1536 he took the Manor of Ebury from Westminster Abbey.<ref>Goring, p. 18.</ref> These transfers brought the site of Buckingham Palace back into royal hands for the first time since William the Conqueror had given it away almost 500 years earlier.<ref>{{Cite book |title=[[Survey of London]]: The Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair |publisher=London County Council |date=1977 |volume=39 |pages=1–5 |chapter=Chapter 1: The Acquisition of the Estate |access-date=3 February 2009 |chapter-url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41820 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213074652/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41820 |archive-date=13 December 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> Various owners leased it from royal landlords, and the [[Freehold (law)|freehold]] was the subject of frenzied speculation during the 17th century. By then, the old village of Eye Cross had long since fallen into decay, and the area was mostly wasteland.<ref>Wright, pp. 76–78.</ref> Needing money, [[James VI and I]] sold off part of the Crown freehold but retained part of the site on which he established a {{convert|4|acre|adj=on|spell=in}} mulberry garden for the production of silk. (This is at the north-west corner of today's palace.)<ref>Goring, pp. 31, 36.</ref> [[Clement Walker]] in ''Anarchia Anglicana'' (1649) refers to "new-erected sodoms and spintries at the Mulberry Garden at S. James's"; this suggests it may have been a place of debauchery. Eventually, in the late 17th century, the freehold was inherited from the property tycoon [[Hugh Audley]] by the great heiress Mary Davies.{{efn|Audley and Davies were key figures in the development of Ebury Manor and also the Grosvenor Estate (see [[dukes of Westminster]]), which still exists today. They are remembered in the street names North Audley Street, [[South Audley Street]], and Davies Street, all in [[Mayfair]].}}

===First houses on the site (1624–1761)===
[[File:Buckingham House 1710.jpeg|thumb|upright=1.2|Engraving of Buckingham House, {{c.|1710}}]]
Possibly the first house erected within the site was that of William Blake, around 1624.<ref>Wright, p. 83.</ref> The next owner was [[George Goring, 1st Earl of Norwich]], who from 1633 extended Blake's house, which came to be known as Goring House, and developed much of today's garden, then known as Goring Great Garden.<ref>Goring, Chapter V</ref><ref name="Harris, p.21">Harris, p. 21.</ref> He did not, however, obtain the freehold interest in the mulberry garden. Unbeknown to Goring, in 1640 the document "failed to pass the [[Great Seal of the Realm|Great Seal]] before [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] fled London, which it needed to do for legal execution".<ref>Wright, p. 96.</ref> It was this critical omission that would help the British royal family regain the freehold under [[George III]].<ref>Goring, p. 62.</ref> When the improvident Goring defaulted on his rents,<ref>Goring, p. 58.</ref> [[Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington]] was able to purchase the lease of Goring House and he was occupying it when it burned down in 1674,<ref name="Harris, p.21"/> following which he constructed Arlington House on the site – the location of the southern wing of today's palace – the next year.<ref name="Harris, p.21"/> In 1698, [[John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby|John Sheffield]] acquired the lease. He later became the first [[Duke of Buckingham and Normanby]].<ref name="who built">{{Cite web |title=Who built Buckingham Palace? |url=https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/buckinghampalace/about/who-built-the-palace |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624153126/https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/buckinghampalace/about/who-built-the-palace |archive-date=24 June 2017 |access-date=8 March 2016 |publisher=Royal Collection Trust}}</ref> Buckingham House was built for Sheffield in 1703 to the design of [[William Winde]]. The style chosen was of a large, three-floored central block with two smaller flanking service wings.<ref name="harris22">Harris, p. 22.</ref> It was eventually sold by Buckingham's illegitimate son, [[Sir Charles Herbert Sheffield, 1st Baronet|Charles Sheffield]], in 1761<ref name="rob14">Robinson, p. 14.</ref> to George III for £21,000.<ref>Mackenzie, p. 12 and Nash, p. 18.</ref>{{efn|The purchase price is given by Wright p. 142 as £28,000.}} Sheffield's [[leasehold]] on the mulberry garden site, the freehold of which was still owned by the royal family, was due to expire in 1774.<ref>Mackenzie, p. 12.</ref>

===From Queen's House to palace (1761–1837)===
{{anchor|Queen's House}}<!-- [[Queen's House (disambiguation)]] links here-->
[[File:Buckingham House, East Front, by William Westall, 1819 - royal coll 922137 257059 ORI 0.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The house in 1819, by [[William Westall]]]]
Under the new royal ownership, the building was originally intended as a private retreat for [[Queen Charlotte]], and was accordingly known as The Queen's House. Remodelling of the structure began in 1762.<ref>Harris, p. 24.</ref> In 1775, an Act of Parliament settled the property on Queen Charlotte, in exchange for her rights to nearby [[Old Somerset House]],<ref name="Old and New">{{Cite book |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45183 |title=Old and New London |publisher=Cassell, Petter & Galpin |date=1878 |volume=4 |pages=61–74 |access-date=3 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101008025710/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45183 |archive-date=8 October 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> and 14 of her 15 children were born there. Some furnishings were transferred from [[Carlton House]] and others had been bought in France after the [[French Revolution]]<ref>Jones, p. 42.</ref> of 1789. While [[St James's Palace]] remained the official and ceremonial royal residence,<ref name="Old and New"/>{{Efn|The tradition persists of foreign ambassadors being formally accredited to "the [[Court of St James's]]", even though it is at Buckingham Palace that they present their credentials and staff to the monarch upon their appointment.}} the name "Buckingham Palace" was used from at least 1791.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0Zg-AAAAYAAJ |title=The Annual Register |date=1791 |editor-last=Burke |editor-first=Edmund |page=8 |quote=Buckingham-palace was the dwelling house of the king. |access-date=25 September 2016}}</ref> 

After his accession to the throne in 1820, [[George IV]] continued the renovation intending to create a small, comfortable home. However, in 1826, while the work was in progress, the King decided to modify the house into a palace with the help of his architect [[John Nash (architect)|John Nash]].<ref>Harris, pp. 30–31.</ref> The external façade was designed, keeping in mind the [[Neoclassicism in France#Architecture|French neoclassical]] influence preferred by George IV. The cost of the renovations grew dramatically, and by 1829 the extravagance of Nash's designs resulted in his removal as the architect. On the death of George IV in 1830, his younger brother [[William IV]] hired [[Edward Blore]] to finish the work.<ref>Harris, p. 33.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Royal Residences > Buckingham Palace > History |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalResidences/BuckinghamPalace/History.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328161802/http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalResidences/BuckinghamPalace/History.aspx |archive-date=28 March 2010 |publisher=www.royal.gov.uk}}</ref> William never moved into the palace. After the [[Palace of Westminster]] was destroyed by fire in 1834, he offered to convert Buckingham Palace into a new Houses of Parliament, but his offer was declined.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ziegler, Philip |title=King William IV |publisher=Collins |date=1971 |isbn=978-0-0021-1934-4 |page=280 |author-link=Philip Ziegler}}</ref>

===Queen Victoria (1837–1901)===
[[File:Buckingham Palace engraved by J.Woods after Hablot Browne & R.Garland publ 1837 edited.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Buckingham Palace c. 1837, showing [[Marble Arch]] at left, a ceremonial entrance. It was moved next to [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]] to make way for the new east wing in 1847.]]
Buckingham Palace became the principal royal residence in 1837, on the accession of Queen Victoria,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Royal Residences > Buckingham Palace |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalResidences/BuckinghamPalace/BuckinghamPalace.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327220845/http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalResidences/BuckinghamPalace/BuckinghamPalace.aspx |archive-date=27 March 2010 |publisher=www.royal.gov.uk}}</ref> who was the first monarch to reside there; her predecessor William IV had died before its completion.<ref>Hedley, p. 10.</ref> While the [[state room]]s were a riot of [[Gilding|gilt]] and colour, the necessities of the new palace were somewhat less luxurious. It was reported the chimneys smoked so much that the fires had to be allowed to die down, and consequently the palace was often cold.<ref name="ws249">Woodham-Smith, p. 249.</ref> Ventilation was so bad that the interior smelled, and when it was decided to install gas lamps, there was a serious worry about the build-up of gas on the lower floors. It was also said that the staff were lax and lazy and the palace was dirty.<ref name="ws249"/> Following the Queen's marriage in 1840, her husband, [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert]], concerned himself with a reorganisation of the [[Royal Household|household]] offices and staff, and with addressing the design faults of the palace.<ref name="Rappaport">Rappaport, p. 84.</ref> By the end of 1840, all the problems had been rectified. However, the builders were to return within a decade.<ref name="Rappaport">Rappaport, p. 84.</ref>

By 1847, the couple had found the palace too small for court life and their growing family<ref>Harris, de Bellaigue & Miller, p. 33.</ref> and a new wing, designed by Edward Blore, was built by [[Thomas Cubitt]],<ref>''Holland & Hannen and Cubitts – The Inception and Development of a Great Building Firm'', published 1920, p. 35.</ref> enclosing the central quadrangle. The large East Front, facing [[The Mall, London|The Mall]], is today the "public face" of Buckingham Palace and contains the balcony from which the [[British royal family|royal family]] acknowledge the crowds on momentous occasions and after the annual [[Trooping the Colour]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Owens |first=Ed |title=Buckingham Palace's balcony: a focal point for national celebration |url=http://www.historyextra.com/article/feature/history-buckingham-palace-balcony-appearance-focal-point-national-celebration |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170522124727/http://www.historyextra.com/article/feature/history-buckingham-palace-balcony-appearance-focal-point-national-celebration |archive-date=22 May 2017 |access-date=12 June 2017 |publisher=Immediate Media/BBC}}</ref> The ballroom wing and a further suite of state rooms were also built in this period, designed by Nash's student [[James Pennethorne]].<ref name="Twilight">King, p. 217.</ref> Before Prince Albert's death, the palace was frequently the scene of musical entertainments,<ref>Hedley, p. 19.</ref> and the most celebrated contemporary musicians entertained at Buckingham Palace. The composer [[Felix Mendelssohn]] is known to have played there on three occasions.<ref>Healey, pp. 137–138.</ref> [[Johann Strauss II]] and his orchestra played there when in England.<ref>Healey, p. 122.</ref> Under Victoria, Buckingham Palace was frequently the scene of lavish costume balls, in addition to the usual royal ceremonies, investitures and presentations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Who has lived at Buckingham Palace? |url=https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/buckinghampalace/about/who-has-lived-at-the-palace |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623215833/https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/buckinghampalace/about/who-has-lived-at-the-palace |archive-date=23 June 2017 |access-date=12 June 2017 |publisher=Royal Collection Trust}}</ref>

Widowed in 1861, the grief-stricken Queen withdrew from public life and left Buckingham Palace to live at [[Windsor Castle]], [[Balmoral Castle]] and [[Osborne House]]. For many years the palace was seldom used, even neglected. In 1864, a note was found pinned to the fence of Buckingham Palace, saying: "These commanding premises to be let or sold, in consequence of the late occupant's declining business."<ref name="Gardiner2006">{{Cite book |last=John Gardiner |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dipe9nVHV3cC&pg=PA142 |title=The Victorians: An Age in Retrospect |publisher=A&C Black |date=2006 |isbn=978-1-8528-5560-4 |page=142}}</ref> Eventually, public opinion persuaded the Queen to return to London, though even then she preferred to live elsewhere whenever possible. Court functions were still held at Windsor Castle, presided over by the sombre Queen habitually dressed in mourning black, while Buckingham Palace remained shuttered for most of the year.<ref name="rob9">Robinson, p. 9.</ref>

===Early 20th century (1901–1945)===
{{multiple image
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| image2            = Buckingham Palace from side, London, UK - Diliff.jpg
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In 1901, the new king, [[Edward VII]], began redecorating the palace. The King and his wife, [[Queen Alexandra]], had always been at the forefront of London high society, and their friends, known as "the [[Marlborough House]] Set", were considered to be the most eminent and fashionable of the age. Buckingham Palace—the Ballroom, Grand Entrance, Marble Hall, Grand Staircase, vestibules and galleries were redecorated in the [[Belle Époque]] cream and gold colour scheme they retain today—once again became a setting for entertaining on a majestic scale but leaving some to feel Edward's heavy redecorations were at odds with Nash's original work.<ref>Robinson (Page 9) asserts that the decorations, including plaster swags and other decorative motifs, are "finicky" and "at odds with Nash's original detailing".</ref>

The last major building work took place during the reign of [[George V]] when, in 1913, [[Aston Webb]] redesigned Blore's 1850 East Front to resemble in part [[Giacomo Leoni]]'s [[Lyme Park]] in Cheshire. This new refaced principal façade (of [[Portland stone]]) was designed to be the backdrop to the [[Victoria Memorial, London|Victoria Memorial]], a large memorial statue of Queen Victoria created by sculptor [[Thomas Brock]], erected outside the main gates on a surround constructed by architect Aston Webb.<ref>Harris, p. 34.</ref> George V, who had succeeded Edward VII in 1910, had a more serious personality than his father; greater emphasis was now placed on official entertainment and royal duties than on lavish parties.<ref>Healey, p. 185.</ref> He arranged a series of [[Royal Command Performance|command performances]] featuring jazz musicians such as the [[Original Dixieland Jazz Band]] (1919; the first jazz performance for a head of state), [[Sidney Bechet]] and [[Louis Armstrong]] (1932), which earned the palace a nomination in 2009 for a [[Brecon Jazz Festival#(Kind of) Blue Plaque|(Kind of) Blue Plaque]] by the [[Brecon Jazz Festival]] as one of the venues making the greatest contribution to jazz music in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 August 2009 |title=Buckingham Palace hits right note with jazz fans |work=London Evening Standard |url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23727267-buckingham-palace-hits-right-note-with-jazz-fans.do |url-status=dead |access-date=11 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100426000757/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23727267-buckingham-palace-hits-right-note-with-jazz-fans.do |archive-date=26 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Stephen Bates |date=3 August 2009 |title=By royal approval: Buckingham Palace's place in jazz history |work=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/03/buckingham-palace-jazz-plaque-brecon |url-status=live |access-date=11 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715015559/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/03/buckingham-palace-jazz-plaque-brecon |archive-date=15 July 2014}}</ref>

During the [[First World War]], which lasted from 1914 until 1918, the palace escaped unscathed. Its more valuable contents were evacuated to Windsor, but the royal family remained in residence. The King imposed [[Rationing in the United Kingdom|rationing]] at the palace, much to the dismay of his guests and household.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rose |first=Kenneth |title=King George V |publisher=Weidenfeld and Nicolson |date=1983 |isbn=978-0-2977-8245-2 |location=London |pages=176–177 |author-link=Kenneth Rose}}</ref> To the King's later regret, [[David Lloyd George]] persuaded him to go further and ostentatiously lock the wine cellars and refrain from alcohol, to set a good example to the supposedly inebriated working class. The workers continued to imbibe, and the King was left unhappy at his enforced abstinence.<ref>Rose, pp. 178–179.</ref>

George V's wife, [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]], was a connoisseur of the arts and took a keen interest in the Royal Collection of furniture and art, both restoring and adding to it. Queen Mary also had many new fixtures and fittings installed, such as the pair of marble [[Empire style|Empire-style]] chimneypieces by [[Benjamin Vulliamy]], dating from 1810, which the Queen had installed in the ground floor Bow Room, the huge low room at the centre of the garden façade. Queen Mary was also responsible for the decoration of the Blue Drawing Room.<ref>Healey pp. 221–222.</ref> This room, {{convert|69|ft|m|abbr=off}} long, previously known as the South Drawing Room, has a ceiling designed by Nash, coffered with huge gilt console brackets.<ref>Harris, p. 63.</ref> In 1938, the northwest pavilion, designed by Nash as a conservatory, was converted into a swimming pool.<ref>Allison and Riddell, p. 69.</ref>

====Second World War====
{{ external media<!-- Do not move to external links. Per template documentation: "This template is normally placed in the main body of the article, in the same place that you would normally have placed the image...if it had been available on Wikimedia Commons." -->| float=right| width=230px|video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxbV8EcaSkk Buckingham Palace Bombed (1940)] – Newsreel of damage to the palace and chapel&nbsp;(1:08)}}
During the [[Second World War]], which broke out in 1939, the palace was [[The Blitz|bombed]] nine times.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Letter from Queen Elizabeth to Queen Mary describing the bombing of Buckingham Palace, 13 September 1940 |url=https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/exhibitions/letter-from-queen-elizabeth-to-queen-mary-describing-the-bombing-of-buckingham-palace-13 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410024430/https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/exhibitions/letter-from-queen-elizabeth-to-queen-mary-describing-the-bombing-of-buckingham-palace-13 |archive-date=10 April 2016 |access-date=31 March 2016 |publisher=Royal Collection Trust}}</ref> The most serious and publicised incident destroyed the palace chapel in 1940. This event was shown in cinemas throughout the United Kingdom to show the common suffering of the rich and poor. One bomb fell in the palace quadrangle while [[George VI]] and [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Queen Elizabeth]] (the future Queen Mother) were in the palace, and many windows were blown in and the chapel destroyed.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thornton |first=Michael |title=Royal Feud |publisher=M. Joseph |date=1984 |page=216}}</ref> Wartime coverage of such incidents was severely restricted, however. The King and Queen were filmed inspecting their bombed home; it was at this time the Queen famously declared: "I'm glad we have been bombed. Now I can look the [[East End]] in the face".<ref name="Luftwaffe">{{Cite news |last=Davies, Caroline |date=12 September 2009 |title=How the Luftwaffe bombed the palace, in the Queen Mother's own words |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/sep/13/queen-mother-biography-shawcross-luftwaffe |url-status=live |access-date=10 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417091423/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/sep/13/queen-mother-biography-shawcross-luftwaffe |archive-date=17 April 2021}}</ref> The royal family were seen as sharing their subjects' hardship, as ''[[The Sunday Graphic]]'' reported:
{{blockquote|By the Editor: The King and Queen have endured the ordeal which has come to their subjects. For the second time a German bomber has tried to bring death and destruction to the home of Their Majesties&nbsp;... When this war is over the common danger which King George and Queen Elizabeth have shared with their people will be a cherished memory and an inspiration through the years.<ref>''[[The Sunday Graphic]]'', 18 September 1939, p. 1.</ref>}}
On 15 September 1940, known as [[Battle of Britain Day]], an RAF pilot, [[Ray Holmes]] of [[No. 504 Squadron RAF]] rammed a German [[Dornier Do 17]] bomber he believed was going to bomb the palace. Holmes had run out of ammunition and made the quick decision to ram it. Holmes bailed out and the aircraft crashed into the forecourt of [[London Victoria station]].<ref>Price, Alfred. ''The Battle of Britain Day'', Greenhill Books, London, 1990, pp. 49–50 and [[Stephen Bungay]], ''The Most Dangerous Enemy: A History of the Battle of Britain''. Aurum Press, London, 2000, p. 325.</ref> The bomber's engine was later exhibited at the [[Imperial War Museum]] in London. The British pilot became a [[King's Messenger]] after the war and died at the age of 90 in 2005.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2 November 2005 |title=Pilot who 'saved Palace' honoured |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/4398484.stm |url-status=live |access-date=18 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207152854/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/4398484.stm |archive-date=7 December 2008}}</ref> On [[VE Day]]—8 May 1945—the palace was the centre of British celebrations. The King, the Queen, [[Elizabeth II|Princess Elizabeth]] (the future queen) and [[Princess Margaret]] appeared on the balcony, with the palace's blacked-out windows behind them, to cheers from a vast crowd in The Mall.<ref>{{Cite news |title=On This Day: 8 May: 1945: Rejoicing at end of war in Europe |date=8 May 1945 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/8/newsid_3580000/3580163.stm |access-date=19 June 2023 |publisher=BBC News}}</ref> The damaged palace was carefully restored after the war by John [[Mowlem]] & Co.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 August 2000 |title=Sir Edgar Beck |work=The Telegraph |location=London |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1351908/Sir-Edgar-Beck.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=5 June 2012 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1351908/Sir-Edgar-Beck.html |archive-date=11 January 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Mid 20th century to present day===
[[File:Victoria Memorial from within Buckingham Palace.jpg|thumb|The [[Victoria Memorial, London|Victoria Memorial]] during a dress rehearsal for [[Trooping the Colour]] in 2015, seen from within the Palace]]
Many of the palace's contents are part of the [[Royal Collection]]; they can, on occasion, be viewed by the public at the [[King's Gallery]], near the Royal Mews. The purpose-built gallery opened in 1962 and displays a changing selection of items from the collection.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About the Royal Collection |url=https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/about |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620184509/https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/about |archive-date=20 June 2017 |access-date=8 March 2016 |publisher=[[Royal Collection Trust]]}}</ref> It occupies the site of the chapel that was destroyed in the Second World War.<ref name="who built"/> The palace was designated a Grade I [[listed building]] in 1970.<ref name="NHLE">{{National Heritage List for England| num=1239087 |desc=Buckingham Palace |grade=I |access-date=18 November 2016}}</ref> Its state rooms have been open to the public during August and September and on some dates throughout the year since 1993. The money raised in entry fees was originally put towards the rebuilding of Windsor Castle after the [[1992 Windsor Castle fire|1992 fire]] devastated many of its staterooms.<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 November 1997 |title=Windsor Castle – five years from disaster to triumph |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/31069.stm |url-status=live |access-date=8 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402101032/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/31069.stm |archive-date=2 April 2012}}</ref> In the year to 31 March 2017, 580,000 people visited the palace, and 154,000 visited the gallery.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Royal Collection Enterprises Limited |date=28 September 2017 |title=Full accounts made up to 31 March 2017 |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/02778486/filing-history |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207005607/https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/02778486/filing-history |archive-date=7 February 2018 |access-date=6 February 2018 |publisher=Companies House |page=3}}</ref> In 2004, the palace attempted to claim money from the community energy fund to heat Buckingham Palace, but the claim was rejected due to fear of public backlash.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gabbatt |first=Adam |date=24 September 2010 |title=Queen asked for poverty grant to heat palaces |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/sep/24/queen-poverty-grant-buckingham-palace |access-date=6 May 2023}}</ref>

The palace used to [[Racial segregation in the United Kingdom|racially segregate]] staff. In 1968, [[Charles Tryon, 2nd Baron Tryon]], acting as treasurer to [[Queen Elizabeth II]], sought to exempt Buckingham Palace from full application of the [[Race Relations Act 1968]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last1=Pegg |first1=David |last2=Evans |first2=Rob |date=2 June 2021 |title=Buckingham Palace banned ethnic minorities from office roles, papers reveal |url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/02/buckingham-palace-banned-ethnic-minorities-from-office-roles-papers-reveal |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310121328/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/02/buckingham-palace-banned-ethnic-minorities-from-office-roles-papers-reveal |archive-date=10 March 2022 |access-date=15 March 2022 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite magazine |last=Vanderhoof |first=Erin |date=11 June 2021 |title=Why the Scandal Around Buckingham Palace's Racist 1960s Hiring Policy Still Resonates |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/06/buckingham-palace-racist-1960s-hiring-policy-scandal |url-status=live |magazine=Vanity Fair |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023121337/https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/06/buckingham-palace-racist-1960s-hiring-policy-scandal |archive-date=23 October 2021 |access-date=15 March 2022}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=March 2024}} He stated that the palace did not hire people of colour for clerical jobs, only as domestic servants. He arranged with civil servants for an exemption that meant that complaints of racism against the royal household would be sent directly to the [[Home Secretary]] and kept out of the legal system.<ref name=":2"/>

The palace, like Windsor Castle, is owned by the reigning monarch in right of [[the Crown]]. Occupied royal palaces are not part of the [[Crown Estate]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=House of Commons Treasury Committee |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2I2nYZ-VJgMC |title=The Management of the Crown Estate: Eighth Report of Session 2009–10 |publisher=Stationery Office |date=2010 |isbn=978-0-2155-5322-5 |volume=1 |page=30 |quote=Windsor Castle is an occupied Royal Palace and therefore not part of the Crown Estate. |access-date=6 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929153341/https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_management_of_the_Crown_Estate/2I2nYZ-VJgMC |archive-date=29 September 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> nor are they the monarch's personal property, unlike [[Sandringham House]] and [[Balmoral Castle]].<ref>{{Cite Hansard|title=Royal Property|jurisdiction=United Kingdom|house=House of Commons|date=16 January 1995|volume=252|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1995/jan/16/royal-property#S6CV0252P0_19950116_CWA_187|column=301W}} [https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1995/jan/16/royal-property#S6CV0252P0_19950116_CWA_187]</ref> The [[Government of the United Kingdom]] is responsible for maintaining the palace in exchange for the profits made by the Crown Estate.<ref>{{Cite web |last=HM Treasury |title=Sovereign Grant Act: frequently asked questions relating to the Act and on general issues |url=http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/leg_sovereign_grant_faq.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130129110402/http:/www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/leg_sovereign_grant_faq.htm |archive-date=29 January 2013 |access-date=22 May 2016 |publisher=The National Archives}}</ref> In 2015, the State Dining Room was closed for a year and a half because its ceiling had become potentially dangerous.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bailey |first=Martin |date=23 March 2017 |title=Emergency repair work to Buckingham Palace's State Dining Room nears completion |url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/emergency-repair-work-to-buckingham-palace's-state-dining-room-nears-completion |access-date=8 March 2021 |website=The Art Newspaper }}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> A 10-year schedule of maintenance work, including new plumbing, wiring, boilers and radiators, and the installation of solar panels on the roof, has been estimated to cost £369&nbsp;million and was approved by the prime minister in November 2016. It will be funded by a temporary increase in the [[Sovereign Grant]] paid from the income of the Crown Estate and is intended to extend the building's working life by at least 50 years.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gordon Rayner |date=18 November 2016 |title=Queen to remain in residence as Buckingham Palace gets £369m taxpayer-funded facelift to avert 'catastrophic building failure' |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/18/buckingham-palace-to-get-369m-facelift-over-10-years |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=18 November 2016 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/18/buckingham-palace-to-get-369m-facelift-over-10-years |archive-date=11 January 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=18 November 2016 |title=Buckingham Palace to get £369m refurbishment |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38025513 |url-status=live |access-date=18 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161118120956/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38025513 |archive-date=18 November 2016}}</ref> In 2017, the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] backed funding for the project by 464 votes to 56.<ref>{{Cite news |date=15 March 2017 |title=Buckingham Palace repairs funding approved by MPs |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39280770 |url-status=live |access-date=21 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122194237/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39280770 |archive-date=22 November 2018}}</ref>

Buckingham Palace is a symbol and home of the British monarchy, an art gallery and a tourist attraction. Behind the gilded railings and gates that were completed by the [[Bromsgrove Guild]] in 1911,<ref name="rob9"/> lies Webb's famous façade, which was described in a book published by the [[Royal Collection Trust]] as looking "like everybody's idea of a palace".<ref name="rob9"/> It has not only been a weekday home of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip but was also the London residence and office of the [[Prince Andrew, Duke of York|Duke of York]] until 2023.<ref>{{cite news |title=King Charles 'tells Prince Andrew there is no place' for him at Buckingham Palace|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/royal-family/prince-andrew-king-charles-buckingham-palace-b2269728.html |access-date=17 March 2024 |work=The Independent|date=27 January 2023}}</ref> The [[Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh|Duke]] and [[Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh|Duchess of Edinburgh]] continue to have a private apartment in the palace for use when they are in London. The palace also houses [[Royal Households of the United Kingdom|their offices]], as well as those of the [[Anne, Princess Royal|Princess Royal]] and [[Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy|Princess Alexandra]], and is the workplace of more than 800 people.<ref name="fact"/><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Hill |first=Erin |date=14 March 2019 |title=Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Have Split Royal Households from Kate Middleton and Prince William |url=https://people.com/royals/meghan-markle-prince-harry-split-households-kate-middleton-prince-william |url-status=live |magazine=People |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402132823/https://people.com/royals/meghan-markle-prince-harry-split-households-kate-middleton-prince-william |archive-date=2 April 2019 |access-date=14 March 2019}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=March 2024}} [[Charles III]] lives at [[Clarence House]] while restoration work continues, although he conducts official business at Buckingham Palace, including weekly meetings with the Prime Minister.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-28 |title=King Charles III's favourite Buckingham Palace childhood feature he'll be keen to restore |url=https://www.hellomagazine.com/homes/20220928152663/king-charles-favourite-buckingham-palace-childhood-feature |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012230408/https://www.hellomagazine.com/homes/20220928152663/king-charles-favourite-buckingham-palace-childhood-feature |archive-date=12 October 2022 |access-date=2022-10-12 |website=HELLO! |language=en}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=March 2024}} Every year, some 50,000 invited guests are entertained at garden parties, receptions, audiences and banquets. [[Garden at Buckingham Palace#Garden parties|Three garden parties]] are held in the summer, usually in July.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 March 2016 |title=About Buckingham Palace |url=https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/buckinghampalace/about |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002102536/https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/buckinghampalace/about |archive-date=2 October 2015 |access-date=8 March 2016 |publisher=Royal Collection Trust}}</ref> The forecourt of Buckingham Palace is used for the [[King's Guard|Changing of the Guard]], a major ceremony and tourist attraction (daily from April to July; every other day in other months).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Changing the Guard |url=https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/buckinghampalace/what-to-see-and-do/changing-the-guard |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624231115/https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/buckinghampalace/what-to-see-and-do/changing-the-guard |archive-date=24 June 2017 |access-date=8 March 2016 |publisher=Royal Collection Trust}}</ref>