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What could be better than a lovely picnic in a glorious London park, with bottles of prosecco and fiddly packs of over-warm mezze from M&S? All of that, but in HM Queen’s garden. Buckingham Palace has just announced that it will be opening for the first time for visitors this summer.
The move has been partly prompted by the fact that the palace’s state rooms – which normally see thousands of visitors a year – have not been opened in either 2020 or 2021 because of the Covid pandemic. The Queen has also had to cancel her famous garden parties again this year for the same reason.
You might not have properly clocked this, but the grounds of Buckingham Palace are really, really massive. The largest private garden in the capital, Buckingham Palace’s backyard covers a whopping 40 acres, including a 3.5 acre lake. There are hundreds of rare species of plants, beehives, a herbaceous border that’s 156 metres long, a helicopter landing pad and probably many many sheds and old kids’ bikes and broken lawnmowers in the long grass.
Under the new opening, visitors will be able to follow designated walking trails around the garden, or join a guided tour. There will also be a range of family activities. The gardens will be open every day except Tuesday and Wednesday until September 19, and you have to book in advance. Most importantly, you’ll be able to picnic on the rolling lawns, so pop that prosecs and tuck into your spinach-and-feta parcel chez Her Maj’s.
The Garden at Buckingham Palace. Jul 9-Sep 19 2021. £16.50 (adults). Pre-book at www.rct.uk.
In other garden news, here are some specifically designed to drink beer in.
And here are some great London lidos for a cooling summertime dip.