Royal fans have been offered a glimpse inside Buckingham Palace’s State Rooms online as the Queen’s London residence remains closed amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The opulent State Rooms in Buckingham Palace are usually only open to visitors for 10 weeks each summer and selected dates during winter and spring.
But last month, the Royal Collection Trust made the decision to keep Buckingham Palace closed ‘because of the operational challenges of social distancing’ in their palaces and properties.
Now, royal fans have been given a close-up look into the Queen’s, 94, opulent home, with photographs of Buckingham Palace’s State Rooms shared on the official Royal Family Instagram account.
Royal fans were offered a glimpse inside Buckingham Palace today after the Summer Opening was cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic
Alongside a snap of the palace’s exterior, a caption read: ‘Every summer, Buckingham Palace welcomes thousands of visitors to the State Rooms and Gardens.
‘This year, the Summer Opening will not take place. But with the help of @RoyalCollectionTrust, you can explore the Palace from home.’
Social media users were then offered the chance to see photographs of several of the State Rooms, including the Throne Room, the White Drawing Room and the Ballroom.
The Royal Collection Trust are also offering royal fans the chance to virtually tour the rooms online, with 360 degree images allowing the public the opportunity to explore the rooms further.
The Royal Family’s official Instagram page shared snaps of some of the State Rooms within the palace, including the Throne Room (left) and the White Drawing Room (right)
Social media users were also offered a glimpse at the opulent Ballroom inside the Queen’s London residence
This year, the State Rooms were set to be open between July 25 and October 4 but the Covid-19 pandemic has put paid to that.
Clarence House, also in London, is the official residence of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall and is only open to visitors during August.
The Royal retreat of Frogmore House, located in the Home Park of Windsor Castle, is also only open to the public in August.
The Queen, 94, is currently residing at Windsor Castle with her husband Prince Philip, who turns 99 next month. They isolated there with a reduced household on March 19.
The virtual tour of Buckingham Palace is the only glimpse of the residence that royal fans will see this summer as the opulent state rooms are to remain close to visitors this year
The monarch usually returns from Windsor to Buckingham Palace in May before her annual break at Balmoral in Scotland in July. This is also not expected to go ahead this year.
All her public engagements are on hold until the coronavirus threat clears and it is believed to be the monarch’s longest absence from official duties in her 68-year reign. Her schedule isn’t expected to resume until autumn at the earliest.
A spokeswoman for Buckingham Palace said she continues to be ‘busy’, conducting a weekly audience with the Prime Minister by phone and receiving her daily red boxes of Government papers.
They added that Her Majesty will ‘follow appropriate advice on engagements’ and is keeping in touch with her family by phone and video calls.
The Queen has been isolating at Windsor Castle since March 19 alongside Prince Philip, 94, amid the coronavirus pandemic
Traditional annual events such as Trooping the Colour and Her Majesty’s garden parties have also been cancelled. A state visit from South Africa is also on hold and investitures will be rearranged to later dates.
A Royal Collection Trust statement released last month read: ‘The safety and wellbeing of our visitors and staff are our priority. Because of the operational challenges of social distancing, unfortunately we had to take the decision not to open the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace to the public this summer, and Frogmore House and Clarence House will not open in August 2020.
‘Those who have booked tickets will be refunded. We are currently unable to confirm a date on which the other Palaces, the Royal Mews, the Galleries and shops will reopen, but will continue to monitor Government advice.’