Royal Insight Forum

Modern & Historical Discussions => The Politics of Monarchies & Republics => Topic started by: Lindelle on December 21, 2009, 04:27:28 AM

Title: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Lindelle on December 21, 2009, 04:27:28 AM
To me talk of Kate and Chelsy are not Royalty. I want to get into the nitty gritty of Royalty. Starting with who knows anything about how the royals live inside Buckingham Palace. C'mon, lets get stuck into REAL royalty.
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: lil157 on December 21, 2009, 07:00:21 AM
I agree, Lindelle. However, there are other royal forums which are more about the historical and factual side of royalty, you know what I mean? This one is... well, what we see (not being offensive... ;) )

Your question is very interesting, indeed. I would loooove to know about it too. I have done some research around that subject before but I couldn't find anything interesting. :(
I would also love to watch some videos inside of Buckingham Palace. There were some great ones on "The Royal Family at work" on youtube. But they took it down. :(

Anyways...


I believe your topic is more suitable to stay under the "royalty today" or "royal splendour" boards down here on the forum's webpage. ;)
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Ursula on December 21, 2009, 01:33:46 PM
Hmmm.  I'd love to know what it's like to live at BP!  How cozy, or not?  How complicated is it to get a cup of tea?  Is parking a problem?   :jester:
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Hale on December 21, 2009, 10:10:22 PM
I too would love to know what it is like to live at BP.

Here are some videos from You Tube.

Buckingham Palace (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHSBAuhITrk&feature=related)
Banquet (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNep8Uuc_tw&feature=related)
Inside PB (http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/london/buckinghampalace.htm)
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Ursula on December 21, 2009, 10:43:28 PM
Very interesting videos.  :thumbsup: Thank you Hale.     
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Lindelle on December 22, 2009, 08:00:20 AM
Thankyou :D
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Windsor on December 28, 2009, 12:34:20 AM
To suggest the members of the Royal Family that reside at the Palace live in splendour, are inaccurate, the State Rooms may be all grand and great, but the private quarters of the family are far less luxurious, those rooms are rather somewhat normal in terms of size, and decoration...
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Lindelle on December 28, 2009, 01:14:49 AM
Quote from: Windsor on December 28, 2009, 12:34:20 AM
To suggest the members of the Royal Family that reside at the Palace live in splendour, are inaccurate, the State Rooms may be all grand and great, but the private quarters of the family are far less luxurious, those rooms are rather somewhat normal in terms of size, and decoration...
Oh please, this would be so interesting to find out how you know this? I'm not being nasty, I really mean, how did u find out and can you find a link or pics or SOMETHING?:)
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Ursula on December 28, 2009, 01:27:34 AM
Didn't a reporter gain access to one of the apartments at BP (Edward's I think)?  I recall seeing the photos of the bedroom and Windsor is correct - it was an average sized room and the furnishings were nothing to shout about.  ;)  Almost out of date, you could say.      
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Lucy on December 29, 2009, 05:05:56 AM
Very true and some of the colours and drapes were quite ghastly...Sweet that the Queen had her cereal in Tupperware....the 'spy' did them a favour to some degree....made them look less frivolous...some of them...the Queen has never seemed frivolous.

I only know there are geeat distances to walk in BP and at one time Prince Philip said he'd not been in nearly all the rooms...mind you some of the rooms are not much more than closets...whilst others are enormous. Some say that most of it is poorly heated...
Some relatives went to a formal, not state, dinner there with the Queen some years ago and kept remarking on how immaculate everything was...with high standards of polishing, dusting and the like...rather what you might expect...and the Queen spoke about a new carpet in some areas and my relative asked for a few yards of the discarded carpet....but was told it was alreadty alotted...we laughed a lot over that. :teehee:


Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Ursula on December 29, 2009, 10:00:17 AM
:)  Thanks for sharing the story Lucy.  I'm not surprised.   ;)  
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Lindelle on December 29, 2009, 11:15:26 AM
I just watched Queen and the Coronation. It detailed only a little about the coronation itself but was more into when The Queen came to the throne. She and PP were living at Clarence House. He was so happy there as he and Princess Elizabeth, as she was then, had redecorated and had spent a lot of money in that involvement,made it a real family home and PP was VERY proud of it. But once the Queen's father died and it was evident that they would have to haul their young family down the road to Buckingham Palace, boy PP was NOT happy about it.

He fought it all the way, even telling them how 'convenient' it would be to have/leave the children, young Charles and Anne, at the home they knew, and just use Buckingham Palace as 'The Office". But he was outdone and reluctantly had to move.

His first experience of Buckingham  Palace was how military it was run, even down to the stark white dishes.He was said to be seen by a butler smashing his hand on the kitchen benchtop in frustration. No he couldn't just call his wife. If he wanted to speak to her he had to 'send a butler half a mile down the bloody road'. So he tried in vain to equip the palace with walky talkies ('well they do in the navy!'),but the QM was not amused. Eventually he was allowed to introuce the telephone. Imagine his frustration at realising he was sharing his marital home with his mother-in-law AND sister-in-law!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????????????? AND asking his Mother-in-law if he could DO things! Not.

And hows this for discrimination! On the day of the Coronation, (it was 16 months in the planning), the people who were going to watch from the footpaths were told not to have sex the night before, or 24 hours, before the coronation incase some of their deed was passed to the monarchy as they rode past?????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is probably the only time i've realised what poor PP had to endure.

Not only could he NOT give his children his last name ('I'm the only man in England who can't pass his family name down to his own children'), but he was told by his WIFE that he could take over the responsibility of co-ordinating the coronation. He was barked down. He was told by the government (Churchill) that 'This is the way it should be done and this is the way it's going to be done'.

Well..............................know wonder the old guy is GRUMPY, geez. :o
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: drezzle on December 29, 2009, 03:34:40 PM
Lindelle,   That's great information.  Thanks for posting it.   :thumbsup:  I think PP was finally able to get rid of the mother-in-law by turning the heat off in her rooms, or so it has been written.  There were many years of power struggles between grumpy PP and the smiling QM.   I don't think they ever resolved their differences, and Charles was often caught in the middle I suspect.
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Lindelle on December 29, 2009, 08:31:10 PM
Yes Drezzle they did mention it was PP who organised turning her heating off, but QM retaliated by moving to other areas within the palace. When she finally moved to CH, she wailed that it was too small.  PC would've been in the middle eventually although it was the young queen who had to split herself between the two. She obviously sided with her mother in many, many ways but tried to make it up to PP on others.
I don't think my outlook of living inside the palace is the same now.

Ooooooooh the in-laws eh? ;)
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: drezzle on December 29, 2009, 08:56:58 PM
Quote from: Lindelle on December 29, 2009, 08:31:10 PM
.........................................but QM retaliated by moving to other areas within the palace. When she finally moved to CH, she wailed that it was too small. 

I don't think my outlook of living inside the palace is the same now.

Ooooooooh the in-laws eh? ;)

That's so funny.  I hadn't heard about her moving to other parts within the palace.   Just imagine!   With some in-laws, no house is big enough!   :laugh:
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Scarlet Flowers on December 29, 2009, 09:04:14 PM
That's certainly a new take living in the Palace.  Dysfunctional indeed.
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Jenee on December 29, 2009, 11:53:17 PM
I did a little looking up about Bham Palace... here's what I found...

there are about 600 rooms
-- 19 state rooms
-- 52 bedrooms
-- 78 bathrooms
-- 92 offices
-- a cinema
-- a swimming pool

about 400 people work at the palace


I can't seem to find anything about the non-public areas though
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Lindelle on December 30, 2009, 12:12:15 AM
Hi Jenee. Thanks for the data,much appreciated. I knew about the bedrooms but not about 78 bathrooms?!!! One can only powder their nose for so long.

You r right though,it's tricky trying to find anything about the private apartments, although I did a youtube check as I knew Prince Andrew took an american television crew on a tour within the Palace but do you think I can find it? It entailed areas of where Sophie and Edwards apartments are and a very ancient looking lift. Meredith Veria I THINK her name was who was the lucky girl to trail around after him. It tookplace when he did an interview about Fergie, their happy divorce and the girls. Hale found something about it but the link only showed him in the interview, not actual footage of the inside tour. Can anyone help please?
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Ursula on December 30, 2009, 01:34:32 AM
Lindelle, this is the link to the interview.  

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/22893410/

I'll do some more checking to see if there were additional parts to it as this is only about 5 mins long. 
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: drezzle on December 30, 2009, 01:44:35 AM
I was just watching this video and Andrew talking about his time in Falklands, and it's confusing why he could serve on the front line and yet they won't let Harry.   

It's a nice interview -- and Prince Andrew is obviously a doting dad and a great ex-husband...............so much different than his older brother.   There was a reporter who gained access to BH as some servant and he described the private apartments and the personalities of Andrew, Edward and Sophie and Anne.   Andrew and Anne were described as quite difficult and temperamental compared to the Wessex couple.
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Lindelle on December 30, 2009, 06:27:45 AM
Ursula that's the one i'm talking about that Hale provided. It was in that interview that he did the tour, but nothing comes up. I'll do some background checking as well. :thankyou:

Drezzle i was wondering the same as you. Maybe they didn't think Harry could make it. I mean i heard he was upset about being rejected for a post he was interested in and the reason he didn't get it was as Harry himself claimed, 'I wasn't good enough at Math'. I remember that as my son was looking at the same career at the same time and i thought , hey not only do Harry and my son look alike but they both can't do math!

But I do remember it was the Queen who gave Harry the news.
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Ursula on December 30, 2009, 09:33:56 AM
Ohhh.  Sorry.  And I haven't been able to find anything else.   :(
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Lindelle on December 30, 2009, 10:14:58 AM
Thanks for trying Ursula. I know this one has been very tricky to find. I'll still search in my spare time and let you all know if/when ifind it. :thankyou: :)
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: drezzle on December 30, 2009, 01:31:16 PM
Quote from: Lindelle on December 30, 2009, 06:27:45 AM
I remember that as my son was looking at the same career at the same time and i thought , hey not only do Harry and my son look alike but they both can't do math!

Well when they look that good, who needs math?   :laugh:
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Lindelle on December 30, 2009, 07:18:36 PM
Oh yes,I've had to face that ALL my life as i'm Elle McPhersons mirror image :haha: :lmao3: :chuckle:
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Jenee on December 31, 2009, 12:06:39 AM
Quote from: Lindelle on December 30, 2009, 06:27:45 AM
I remember that as my son was looking at the same career at the same time and i thought , hey not only do Harry and my son look alike but they both can't do math!

:laugh:
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Pri on December 31, 2009, 12:20:16 AM
Back from a loong hiatus.  Who has apartments in Buckingham Palace?
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Lindelle on December 31, 2009, 12:33:07 AM
Hi Pri. I THINK Edward and Sophie still have apartments there for when they are in London, same with Andrew too, but as for other members I'm not sure.
I wish i had one-RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO PRINCE ANDREW :wub2: :kiss2: :sigh:
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Pri on December 31, 2009, 12:41:46 AM
V. cool...he is the hottest of the queen's siblings.
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Ursula on December 31, 2009, 01:11:33 AM
Princess Anne has apartments there as well for her use when she's in London.  

I'd be thrilled to settle for attic space in BP and I'd make it the coziest closet in town!   :P  
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Hale on January 02, 2010, 04:01:46 PM
Having toured BP this year, I can tell you that in the State/Public rooms their are electric fires situated within the real fireplaces.  They look as if they are throw backs from the 70's.  I would go so far as to say that was the last time BP had a good refurbishing.  I understand that it was PP who did away with footman wearing powdered wigs.

I don't know if this is any help, but sometime ago I met a sailor at my husbands unit who actually worked on the Royal Yacht Britannia.  He said, that all messages were passed on verbally because they were not allowed to use the tannoy system (making pipes) in case it disturbed the royals.  Also, when ever the loos were used, a fresh bar of soap would be unwrapped and placed in the washroom after each and every royal visit.

I wonder if this applies to BP also?
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Jenee on January 02, 2010, 10:00:19 PM
I hope not- that is a horrible waste!
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Ursula on January 02, 2010, 10:05:16 PM
Quote from: Jenee on January 02, 2010, 10:00:19 PM
I hope not- that is a horrible waste!

Hmmm.  Not exactly "green" living, eh?  :notamused:
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Lindelle on January 02, 2010, 11:14:40 PM
Well i heard that the RF don't have to worry about waste as they get so many gifts given to them throughout the year. No wonder they have so much money, they never have to buy anything!
It would be best given to charity if they have THAT much.
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: koolkat on January 03, 2010, 08:06:44 AM
they probably do. we just don't hear all of it.
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Hale on January 03, 2010, 01:53:58 PM
That's true koolkat.  They all give to charity, but it is very rare that we hear about it.  For instance the recent flooding in England, we did hear that the POW & the Q made a contribution, but what that contribution was???????????

Sometime ago, in a tv series, it came to light that a private donor saved an island of the Scottish Coast.  The programme left the viewer in no doubt that the private donor was none other than The Q, however it was only by accident we the general public actually learned of it.
Title: Re: Living Inside Buckingham Palace
Post by: Ursula on January 03, 2010, 02:13:52 PM
Hale, I can understand figures not being released - I imagine it would never be "enough" considering their wealth and that argument would take on a life of its own. 

I'm glad to hear that about the Scottish island.