Virtual Rooms

For much of the year, Buckingham Palace is used by The Queen and members of the Royal Family for official functions and events.

The State Rooms of the Palace are open to visitors during the Annual Summer Opening in August and September, when Her Majesty is in residence at Balmoral Castle.

To get a idea of what it might feel like to stand in a room at the Palace, explore a Virtual Room, which allows you to have a 360 degree view of The Grand Staircase or The White Drawing Room.

Featured rooms

Thousands of visitors each year make their way up the Grand Staircase to the State Rooms when attending a Reception or Investiture.

Designed by the architect John Nash for George IV, the staircase was augmented by Queen Victoria when she added portraits of her immediate family.

The Throne Room is used principally for the reception of formal addresses on important occasions, such as those present to The Queen’s Jubilees in 1977 and 2002.

The Blue Drawing Room was originaly known as the South Drawing Room. Today it.is used by guests who gather here before large luncheon parties and grand State and diplomatic occasions.

The White Drawing Room is used for receptions and audiences and has been used as the backdrop for a number of formal photographic portraits of members of the Royal Family.