Buckingham Palace opens iconic balcony room to visitors

Visitors to Buckingham Palace in London this summer will have the opportunity to stand behind the famous balcony where the British royal family often poses.

For the first time, the palace is opening the East Wing, which includes the Centre Room where the iconic balcony is located.

"This room was part of the addition to the East Wing, made by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. And it was Prince Albert who suggested the balcony," said Nicola Turner Inman, curator of Decorative Arts at the Royal Collection Trust.

"It was first used in 1851 for waving off the troops for the Crimean War. So, it's been in use for quite a long time," she said.

Visitors will not be allowed to stand on the balcony. However, they will be able to look through the net curtain down The Mall and see a newly restored 19th-century glass chandelier shaped like a lotus flower.

"For the public to be able to see the chandelier, not a glimpse of it from the Mall, but actually be in the room where it hangs is an exciting prospect," said Turner Inman.

Ticket holders will also be able to enter the Yellow Drawing Room, which features 18th-century items such as recently restored hand-painted Chinese wallpaper and a Kylin clock.

Guided tours of parts of the palace have been available since 1993. Access to this section has been made possible after five years of renovations as part of the ongoing Buckingham Palace reservicing programme.

Other highlights include Chinese imperial silk wall hangings presented to Queen Victoria, as well as artwork from the 18th-century British painter Thomas Gainsborough on display in the Principal Corridor.

The £75 tickets include access to the State Rooms and the East Wing rooms, often used for receptions and meetings as well as balcony moments. The summer opening of the State Rooms and the East Wing rooms is from July 11 to September 29. Cheaper tickets are available for the State Rooms only, but tickets for the newly opened wing have sold out for this year.

(With inputs from Reuters)