‘Like living above the shop’: Why British royalty aren’t fans of their most famous palace

Buckingham Palace
The east front of Buckingham Palace underwent extensive improvements in the 19th century. (Getty: Hulton Archive/Le Pettit/TH Shepherd)

Buckingham Palace has long been the place where history is made.

As the symbolic seat of the British royal family, the stately building with gilded finishes and an imposing facade is one of the most recognisable in the world, a landmark as identifiable as the Louvre or the White House.

State banquets, jubilee celebrations, royal births and wedding receptions have all taken place in the London house, its balcony serving as the perfect stage for polite waves to the public and choreographed photo ops.

But for all its fame and grandeur, Buckingham Palace is not the cosiest place to live and, at times, it has even posed a risk to the very royals that call it home.

There was that winter in 2001 when pest control was called in after rodents were discovered in the Queen’s kitchen.

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