Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. It is located opposite the Mall and Green Park with a white marble and gilded monument to Queen Victoria. When the monarch is in the palace, the royal standard is flown over the roof of the palace.
Buckingham Palace was originally known as Buckingham House and was built for John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby. It was purchased by King George III in 1762 as the future private residence of the monarch. Over the next 75 years, architects John Nash and Edward Blore took Buckingham House as the basis and built three more similar buildings. All together form a square in the plan, in the center of which is a large courtyard. The palace was officially declared the main residence of the British monarchs upon the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837.

During her reign, the last major additions were made, the construction of another wing and the transfer of the former main entrance, the Marble Arch, to the current location near the Orator's Corner in Hyde Park. In front of the palace gates there is a monument in honor of Queen Victoria. By 1853, the most spacious and richly decorated room of the palace was completed — the ballroom, which is 36 meters long and 18 meters wide. It was built on the instructions of Queen Victoria and was first used in 1856 for a reception in honor of the end of the Crimean War. Victoria's son and heir, Edward VII, was born in 1841 in this palace and died here in 1910.Despite the luxury of the palace's apartments, where many family jewels are kept, not everyone who lived in it was happy. There is no consensus about the architectural merits of the palace. For example, The Guardian newspaper called the palace one of the ugliest structures in the world.

Interiors and features
The original Georgian interior included artificial marble and blue and pink lapis. King Edward VII heavily redesigned it in the style of the French Belle Époque in cream and gold tones. Many of the small reception rooms were furnished in Chinese style with furniture from the Royal Pavilion in Brighton and from Carlton House. Currently, the palace includes 775 rooms. There are 19 state rooms, 52 royal and guest rooms, 188 staff rooms, 92 offices, and 72 bathrooms. It occupies an area of 20 hectares, of which 17 hectares is a garden. Buckingham Palace Gardens are the largest private gardens in London. The large artificial pond was completed in 1828.The palace houses the Queen's art collection with works by Rembrandt, Rubens, and others. The collection also includes French Sevres porcelain, French and English furniture. The palace has a swimming pool, a post office, and its own cinema. For two months (August and September) the Queen leaves Buckingham Palace. During these months, the state rooms of the palace are open to visitors.

Tourism
The palace is guarded by a Court division consisting of a regiment of Foot Guards and a Royal Horse Guards Regiment. Every day at 11:30 from April to August (in other months — every other day), a changing of the guard ceremony takes place. This is perhaps the most famous ceremony in London; it attracts many tourists. In the summer, the palace is visited by about 50,000 guests, who take part in receptions in the royal garden, where there is a lake and waterfalls. The picture of natural nature is complemented by flamingos, whose peace is not disturbed even by the royal helicopters circling over the garden.