 |
| A Royal Welcome at Buckingham Palace - the front of Buckingham Palace and the Ballroom laid out for a state banquet Photos © Andrew Knowles |
The longest reigning British monarch
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was the longest reigning British monarch, overtaking Queen Victoria.
The Grand Entrance
The first difference from our previous visits to Buckingham Palace was the way in. This year, visitors to the palace enter the State Rooms through the Grand Entrance that invited guests use. The Australian state coach is on display outside this entrance so that visitors can imagine they have just arrived in it (if only!).
 |
| The Australian state coach outside the Grand Entrance of Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
The Grand Staircase
From the Grand Entrance, you pass through the Grand Hall and up the Grand Staircase. On our tour, we went straight to the top and were able to capture the full length of the magnificent staircase. The balustrade is magnificent, made of gilded bronze, and at the top we looked up to see some very familiar faces – George III and Queen Charlotte.
 |
| The Grand Hall, Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| View up the Grand Staircase, Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| The Grand Staircase, Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
The Throne Room
In the Throne Room, there were displays on the theme of investitures. There was a video of various people receiving their honours, as well as pictures of some recipients of the Order of Merit including a portrait of Sir Tom Stoppard and a self-portrait by David Hockney. The knighting stool and a sword used for conferring knighthoods were also on display.
 |
| Knighting stool © Royal Collection Trust Queen Elizabeth II 2015 |
 |
| Portrait of Sir Tom Stoppard © Royal Collection Trust Queen Elizabeth II 2015 |
Preparing for a state visit
In the main exhibition area, there were several displays set up which showed how the palace staff prepare for a state visit. These included insights into the office, the kitchen, the wine cellar and the dressmaker’s workshop.
Getting ready in the office
 |
| Part of the office display in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| An invitation to a state banquet in the office display in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| Invitations to a state banquet in the office display in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| Programme for a state visit in the office display in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
I particularly liked the little booklets (shown above) that guests are given so that they know the names of everyone else who is attending the state banquet and where they are sitting, a menu and other useful information. The aim is to make the guests feel relaxed, not to catch them out!
Preparing food for a state banquet
 |
| The kitchen display in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace - Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| Chocolates in the kitchen display in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| Uniform in the kitchen display in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| Making chocolate buttons in the mould of uniform buttons in the kitchen display in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| Making chocolate buttons in the mould of uniform buttons in the kitchen display in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
Preparing the wine for a state banquet
 |
| The wine cellar display in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| The wine cellar display in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| Preparing the tableware for a state banquet in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| Preparing the tableware for a state banquet in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| Getting out the plates for a state banquet in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| Getting out the cutlery for a state banquet in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
Preparing clothes fit for the Queen
 |
| The dressers' workroom in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| The dressers' workroom in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Rachel Knowles |
 |
| The dressers' workroom in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
Dressed for a state occasion
I enjoyed the last display, showcasing three of the Queen’s dresses used for state occasions, together with photos of her wearing them. Some of her jewellery was on display, including the coronation necklace, Queen Mary’s Dorset bow brooch and the Kokoshnik tiara.
 |
| One of the Queen's state outfits in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace - Photo © Rachel Knowles |
 |
| One of the Queen's state outfits in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace - Photo © Rachel Knowles |
 |
| The coronation necklace in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| The Kokoshnik tiara in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| Queen Mary's Dorset bow brooch in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
The Ballroom
The Ballroom was set up for a state banquet and I thought the glittering array of tableware was quite dazzling.
 |
| The ballroom set up for a state banquet in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| The ballroom set up for a state banquet in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| The ballroom set up for a state banquet in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| Menu for a state banquet in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| Place setting for a state banquet in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
There were several videos to watch, my favourite being the one on the middle screen—a speeded up version of them setting up, serving and clearing up after a state banquet. You can watch part of this video here.
State gifts
A selection of gifts given to the Queen on state visits was on display in the State Dining Room, on a table beneath life-size portraits of George IV and his parents and other royals.
 |
| State gifts on display in the State Dining Room in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| Part of a set of porcelain plates given to the Queen by the President of Singapore in 2014 © Royal Collection Trust Queen Elizabeth II 2015 |
 |
| Clay sculpture of a Tree of Life from the President of Mexico on display in the State Dining Room in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
Music Room
More of the Queen's clothes were on display in the Music Room.
 |
| Three of the Queen's state outfits in a Royal Welcome 2015 exhibition at Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
It was a great morning, wandering through the State Rooms and reacquainting myself with all the wonderful portraits of the Georgian royal family. I did not count how many pictures there were of George IV, but there were more of him than of any other monarch! The exhibition brought in several new elements which were a nice variation to what we had seen on previous visits.
Remembering Mrs Jordan
Having blogged about Mrs Jordan (William IV's long-standing mistress) recently and how she was ostracised by the royal family during her life, it was reassuring to see her portrait on display alongside the Georgian royals as well as the Chantrey sculpture commissioned by William IV. This was not on display in one of the rooms we visited on our guided tour and so we had no opportunity to photograph it, but Andrew discovered that he had taken a picture of it quite by chance when capturing the view through a doorway from one of the drawing rooms!
 |
| Mrs Jordan statue by Chantrey, on display in Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| Mrs Jordan statue by Chantrey, on display in Buckingham Palace Photo © Andrew Knowles |
 |
| A royal treat in the café © Andrew Knowles |
Rachel Knowles writes faith-based Regency romance and historical non-fiction. She has been sharing her research on this blog since 2011. Rachel lives in the beautiful Georgian seaside town of Weymouth, Dorset, on the south coast of England, with her husband, Andrew.
Find out more about Rachel's books and sign up for her newsletter here.If you have enjoyed this blog and want to encourage me and help me to keep making my research freely available, please buy me a virtual cup of coffee by clicking the button below.
I really enjoyed this blog, Rachel, and congratulations to Andrew for his photos - it was great to see the details.so clearly..
ReplyDeleteThank you. Always nice to take my photographer along. :)
DeleteSo happy to see Dora's statue. Did you know that her daughter Mary was a correspondent with the scientist Michael Faraday?
ReplyDeleteIt was lovely to actually see the statue having read about its history. And no, I didn't know about Mary. How fascinating!
DeleteFaraday was a combination of Steve Jobs and Neil DeGrasse Tyson back in his day. He's the man we have to thank for electric generators. But like Dora, he was born poor and as he got older, had health troubles. He might have slipped back into poverty but Mary was as kindhearted as her mother and took up his cause and helped secure a pension for him and Queen Victoria even gave him a retirement home. It gives us some insight into the troubles of commoners and also the influence of Dora and William's children. Anyway, I loved the photos and look forward to reading your book.
DeleteThanks so much for the information and hope you enjoy my book. :)
Delete