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Buckingham Palace Opens Its Gates

Buckingham Palace is to allow tourists to enter through its famed front gates for the first time, following the success of the east wing's opening in the summer.


Buckingham Palace main gates

"Paying visitors" will be able to walk into the palace "the same way as guests at garden parties and royal receptions", said The Telegraph.


Set amidst 39 acres of gardens, the working palace is the King's official residence in London, though he and the Queen do not currently stay overnight there. The royal residence, with 775 rooms, is in the process of a £369 million ($478m) refurbishment, updating its electric cabling, plumbing and heating system over the course of the next 10 years.


Since originally opening to the public in 1993, the palace is typically closed during the winter months, but next year tours will continue from January to May as part of King Charles' initiative to give the public greater access to the monarchy's headquarters throughout the year.


This summer, the historic east wing of Buckingham Palace was opened to the public for the first time since it was built 175 years ago, drawing a record-breaking number of visitors. Continuing on the success, the Royal Collection Trust is now offering a 90-minute guided tour, which will include views of the central balcony and Victoria Memorial and provide an in-depth history of the wing's rooms.


The palace's east wing was built between 1847 and 1849 and features "some of the finest ceramics and furniture in the Royal collection", which were brought to the palace from George IV's "opulent, oriental-style" palace in Brighton.

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