Buckingham Palace Summer Opening

Time Out says

Thu Oct 11 2012

It's difficult to imagine what it would be like to attend one of the state, ceremonial or official occasions for which the rooms that visitors have access to are used, protected as they are by perspex and seasonal staff – but it's fascinating to see them, all the same. The Grand Hall resembles an upmarket hotel foyer and the thrones are surprisingly modest but the Music Room, setting for many royal christenings, is charming, there are some glorious Nash ceilings and among the paintings in the Picture Gallery are Rembrandts, Rubens and Vermeers. The visitor route includes a 450-metre walk along the west side of the palace garden, which offers views of the garden, palace and nineteenth-century lake. The 2011 special exhibition brings together masterpieces by the Russian jeweller Carl Fabergé, from Imperial Easter eggs and jewel-encrusted boxes to miniature carvings of favourite royal pets. There's also a special display of the Sarah Burton-designed dress worn by Kate Middleton at the royal wedding on April 29, 2011. The Duchess of Cambridge's dress is on show along with her 'something borrowed' 1936 Cartier tiara, which was lent to the bride by the Queen, and a replica of the multi-tiered royal wedding cake created by cake designer Fiona Cairns.