Welcome to a new history series on An Historian About Town, The History of… Royal Palaces! These palaces are both home and office for royals, and often have been the setting for numerous significant moments in history. In this series, we will be “touring” official palaces- meaning those deemed as official by the monarchy. (If you are interested in a second series on private royal homes, please let me know.) Today we are starting with one of the most recognisable buildings on the planet. We have the history of Buckingham Palace to start us off!
The Early History of Buckingham House
You will notice that this section is called “The Early History Buckingham House” not “Buckingham Palace” because it actually began life as a country house rather than a palace.
There had been residences on the swampy spot for several centuries prior, but the newly titled Duke of Buckingham and Normanby took over the lease and had the house built in 1703. This house had a large central block with a three-storey building and two wings of two-storeys. It stayed in the family for two generations until 1761.
King George III Looks for a Family Retreat
King George III married Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in September of 1761 and immediately started looking for a quiet family home for her. He purchased the then-Buckingham House from Charles Sheffield, the illegitimate son of the first Duke. Legally the house belonged to Queen Charlotte and was officially retitled as The Queen’s House (not to be confused with the Queen’s House at Greenwich). Charlotte spent a great deal of time there, as it was a relaxing retreat- at the time, this was considered the country and not part of the bustling metropolis of London. All of her fifteen children save for two (the future George IV and Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany) were born at the family home.
King George IV Kicks It Up…
Unsurprisingly, King George IV wanted to add a tad more oomph to the property upon his ascension. He turned to his friend, architect John Nash, to make the now-Buckingham Palace more to his liking. Nash added wings, a dome on the garden, and continual updates and changes. The original ￡200,000 budget quickly spiralled to ￡700,000, not including Marble Arch. Yes, Marble Arch, the monument in Hyde Park was actually right outside Buckingham Palace. George died in 1830 and left the Palace in a wildly unfinished state.
Finishing the Palace
King William IV hated any sort of the extravagance and had nothing to do with Buckingham Palace. When Queen Victoria ascended to the throne, she wanted to immediately move into Buckingham Palace to escape her controlling mother at Kensington Palace. However, nothing really functioned at Buckingham Palace and it took several years to get the Palace in working order. It was under Victoria that it became the official residence of the monarch, and has remained so since.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had many of the architectural extravagances that George IV added removed. The dome was removed, Marble Arch was moved to Hyde Park in 1847, and it took on a new appearance. The East Wing was also added, which is the wing with the balcony where we see the Royal Family make appearances.
The Windsor Buckingham Palace
King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra remodelled some of the rooms and largely redecorated but did not make major changes to the Palace. However, King George V and Queen Mary did. The Portland stone Facade that we now know was put up in 1913 to replace the original crumbling stucco. It was also during the first years of George V’s reign that the Victoria Memorial was erected.
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth did not make major changes per se. The Palace did suffer bomb attacks during the Second World War; the Chapel was entirely destroyed and subsequent remodelling saw the space incorporated into the Gallery.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip also lived at Buckingham Palace with their family. The Queen technically worked from Buckingham Palace and typically spent 3-4 day each week there. There also were not any significant updates during the late Queen’s reign, either.
The Current Buckingham Palace
As of early 2024, Buckingham Palace is still in the middle of a ten-year, ￡369,000,000 refurbishment project. Because work was put off for so long (largely to avoid the criticism of funds needed), there is a great deal of work now needed. The King and Queen do not live in Buckingham Palace, they still live in Clarence House. However, The King does work out of the Palace and has taken over his late mother’s study. They have also hosted official state events at Buckingham Palace. You can visit the Palace at specific points on guided tours during the summer, but many think that The King will allow for more opening dates for the public.
Were you familiar with the history of Buckingham Palace? And have you visited?
Cheers,
The Historian
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Hi
I’m not a dedicated historian, but I have researched the history of my mother’s family and of the two locations which they mainly inhabited since the mid-16thC. I’d say that I have a non-specific curiosity about history… I arrived at your site because I’d watched King Charles’ coronation on TV and noticed the graffiti on the throne!