The Queen is opening up Buckingham Palace's gardens to the public for the first time, offering the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to picnic with views of the Palace.
Access to some areas of the garden have previously been included as part of guided tours to Buckingham Palace, but with pandemic restrictions forcing the cancellation of Buckingham Palace’s traditional summer opening for a second year, visitors will now be able to explore the extensive gardens for themselves, completely self-guided.
History of Buckingham Palace gardens
The Queen’s private London garden plays a key part in the busy calendar of royal events. The most famous of these events are The Queen’s Garden Parties, which in an average year see around 24,000 guests from all walks of life welcomed into the garden each summer.
For over 200 years the garden has been used by the Royal Family for official entertaining and celebratory events such as jubilee concerts.
The gardens were originally landscaped by Capability Brown, although the current design dates from the 1820s, when George IV turned Buckingham House into a palace, with the gardens redesigned by William Townsend Alton.
Described by the Royal Collection Trust as ‘a walled oasis in the middle of London’, the Queen's garden is the largest private garden in the capital and boasts 325 wild-plant species, 30 species of breeding birds, and over 1,000 trees, including 98 plane trees and 85 different species of oak.
Among the many features to discover are the 156-metre Herbaceous Border, the Horse Chestnut Avenue, the plane trees planted by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and the famous lake with its island that is home to the Buckingham Palace bees.
How to visit Buckingham Palace this year
While Buckingham Palace itself is unable to open as usual, smaller guided tours of the State Rooms will be available from May to September. Access to the gardens will be available from 9 July to 19 September.
Visitors may bring their own picnics, or purchase food from a range of food stalls.
Get more information and book your tickets to visit Buckingham Palace gardens.