It’s back to school and the skies are grey so what are you thinking of doing this weekend? Here’s something you probably haven’t thought of – take your lot over to the Queen’s house – she’s out until 1 October!




Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms, but only 19 of them, the State Rooms, are open to the public – the best ones. Visitors in 2017 will see the new Royal Gifts exhibition, an extensive look at the presents the Queen has been given during her 65-year reign. Highlights include a Union Flag worn by Tim Peake during his spacewalk last year, a fossilised dinosaur bone, an honorary Bafta, an enamel TfL roundel for Buckingham Palace, a gold casket from Prince Rainier of Monaco, a sperm whale tooth necklace from Fiji and a silk prayer shawl blessed by the Dalai Lama.


A visit to the State Rooms usually takes up to two and a half hours. Be prepared for airport-style security and don’t expect to get away with taking any selfies; cameras are banned inside the State Rooms. You won’t be allowed to gobble as you gawp – but there is a café, so you’ll be able to tell people you’ve taken tea at Buckingham Palace.
For all the details see: https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/the-state-rooms-buckingham-palace
Happy weekend!