Buckingham Palace - Summer Opening
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
THIS YEAR, the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace are open to the public from Tuesday, July 29 to Monday, September 29, 2008.
Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of Her Majesty The Queen and serves as both home and office. The State Rooms are used extensively by The Queen and Members of the Royal Family to receive and entertain their guests on state, ceremonial and official occasions.
The State Rooms are lavishly furnished with some of the finest treasures from the Royal Collection – paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Poussin, Canaletto; sculpture by Canova; exquisite examples of Sevres porcelain, and some of the finest English and French furniture in the world.
The Palace’s 39-acre garden is an oasis for wildlife, and visitors can enjoy a garden walk that offers superb views of the Garden Front of the Palace and the 19th-century lake.
For the first time and for this summer only, visitors will experience the spectacle of the Ballroom set up for a State Banquet. Held in honour of a visiting Head of State, the State Banquet is the occasion when The Queen entertains around 170 guests on the first evening of a State Visit. During Her Majesty’s reign, 77 State Banquets have been held at Buckingham Palace, 17 at Windsor Castle and one at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
At this year’s Summer Opening of Buckingham Palace, the horseshoe-shaped table traditionally used at State Banquets will be set with dazzling silver-gilt from the Grand Service and adorned with magnificent flower arrangements. Lavish displays of tureens, dishes, ornamental cups and fine English and Continental porcelain will flank the table. Film footage will show the behind-the-scenes work of Royal Household staff, including chefs, footmen, pages, florists and housemaids, who ensure the highest standards of presentation and delivery.
Although the style of dining has changed considerably over the last two centuries, sumptuous banquets have always been an integral part of royal ceremonies and the traditional way to mark significant occasions.
In the field of entertaining, as in so many others, no monarch has rivalled George IV. In 1811, when he became Prince Regent, he famously gave a supper for 3,000 people at Carlton House, his private residence. The single dining table, which extended the entire length of the building, incorporated a stream with live goldfish. Water issued from a fountain at the head of the table and fell through a succession of cascades into a circular lake surrounded by architectural features.
While the displays and menus for State Banquets are now considerably more restrained –guests are typically served one choice for each of the four courses – George IV’s spectacular gilt tableware is still used.
The form of today’s State Banquet largely dates from the reign of Queen Victoria, who introduced the ceremony of the royal procession before the meal. Guests are first received by The Queen and the visiting Head of State in the Palace’s Music Room and proceed to the Ballroom. The royal procession, led by The Queen and the Head of State, then makes its way to the Banquet, preceded by the Lord Chamberlain and the Lord Steward.
Before dinner is served, The Queen proposes the health of her guest, who replies and proposes The Queen’s health. During dinner, a programme of music is played by a military orchestra in the gallery, and at the end of the Banquet pipers process around the room. The Queen and the visiting Head of State leave through the West Gallery, and guests move to the State Dining Room and the Blue Drawing Room for coffee.
Entry to the display is included in admission to the Summer Opening of Buckingham Palace.
The State Banquet display will be accompanied by the book For The Royal Table, published by Royal Collection Publications, price £9.95 (hardback).