Buckingham Palace is the official London residence and principal workplace of the British monarch. Buckingham Palace is located in the City of Westminster. The palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality. It has been a focus for the British people at times of national rejoicing and crisis.

Originally known as Buckingham House, the building which forms the core of today’s palace was a large town-house built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1705 on a site which had been in private ownership for at least 150 years.

During the 19th century it was enlarged, principally by architects John Nash and Edward Blore. Buckingham Palace finally became the official royal palace of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837. The last major structural additions were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the East front which contains the well-known balcony on which the royal family traditionally congregates to greet crowds outside. More…