King Charles to open room behind Buckingham Palace balcony to the public

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The room behind the iconic balcony of Buckingham Palace will be opened to the public next week, offering a peek into George IV's fascination with oriental art and furniture.The King played a crucial role in allowing visitors access to the Royal residence's east wing for the first time, with nearly 6,000 tickets selling out within hours when they went on sale in April.Caroline de Guitaut, Surveyor of the King's Works of Art, revealed: "It was Prince Albert's idea to have a balcony at Buckingham Palace, because he saw it as a way of enabling the royal family to connect with the people, and of course that's exactly how, in a sense, it continues to be used on important occasions."She further explained: "But it began to be used very early on in Queen Victoria's reign, from 1851 waving off the troops to the Crimean War and welcoming them back on return."The palace's east wing was constructed between 1847-49 to accommodate Queen Victoria's expanding family, enclosing the former open horse-shoe shaped Royal residence.George IV's lavish oriental-style seaside palace, the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, was sold to fund the construction work.

Its contents, some of the finest ceramics and furniture in the Royal Collection, were relocated to the east wing, inspiring the Chinese-themed decor of its main rooms.The pavilion's exquisite treasures were transported from Brighton in 143 loads on artillery carts, with some items loaned back, and important pieces like 42 fireplaces amalgamated into Buckingham Palace along with an array of tables, chairs, clocks and vases.Guided journeys of the palace's east wing, encompassing the impressive state rooms, will escort attendees along much of the 240ft-long main corridor.