Q: William - Kent
Could you tell me what room the famous balcony at Buckingham Palace leads off? Is it one of the State Rooms?

The balcony leads off the Centre Room which contains
fixtures and fittings from the Brighton Pavilion.

Though not a State room, it is occasionally use for receptions and presentations.

Q: Joe - Newcastle
At the time of their wedding, I thought I read that Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall would be touring the country.  Is that still the case and if so when will they be coming near to Warwickshire?

Although no official tour of the United Kingdom was announced, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall have travelled extensively throughout the country, together and individually, since their wedding in April 2005.  Their engagements are often in support of charities of which they are Patron or President and are an important part of their work and role. 
 
The Prince last visited Warwickshire in November 2005 when he attended the Annual General Meeting of the Royal Shakespeare Company, in his role as President. You can find out more about Their Royal Highnesses upcoming engagements on The Prince of Wales's web site. There is a link at the bottom of this page.
 
Q: Martha - Berkshire
I would like to go to the next Garter ceremony at Windsor Castle. How do I go about doing this?

Unfortunately, the deadline to apply for tickets to watch this year's Garter procession has already passed. Members of the general public can apply to Windsor Castle for tickets to stand in the grounds of the castle, outside St George's Chapel, and watch the parade. Applications should be sent to the following address between 1 January and 1 March each year:

The Superintendent
Windsor Castle
Berkshire
SL4 1NJ
 
Q: Ron - Cardiff
I understand that figures are published annually showing the number of UK visits carried out by members of the Royal Family. Could you tell me what they were last year?

Mr Tim O'Donovan, a member of the public, logs the engagements undertaken by each member of the Royal Family during the calendar year; these are obtained from the Court Circular pages in certain national newspapers. The figures are then totalled and the results are published on the letters page of The Times at the beginning of each year, providing a set of unofficial statistics.

According to Mr Donovan, in 2005, the figures for visits in the United Kingdom (not including audiences, Investitures or overseas engagements) were as follows:

The Queen - 109
The Duke of Edinburgh - 143
The Prince of Wales- 153
The Duchess of Cornwall - 84
The Duke of York - 158
The Earl of Wessex - 123
The Countess of Wessex - 105
The Princess Royal - 293
The Duke of Gloucester - 137
The Duchess of Gloucester - 108
The Duke of Kent- 140

Q: Jean - USA
I admired the tiara which The Duchess of Cornwall wore at the banquet for the Brazilian President. I don't think I've ever seen her wear this before. What tiara is it?

The honeycomb tiara to which you refer is in a modern style, with three layers of linked diamond lozenges and surmounted by fleur-de-lis.

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother had the piece made by Boucheron from South African diamonds which had been presented to Edward VII as a gift by de Beers in 1901.

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