Buckingham Palace is undergoing a major £369m refurbishment that began in 2017 and is set to be completed in March 2027, after its infrastructure was deemed to be in “urgent need of a complete overhaul”.
The refurbishment has turned out to be a real archaeological endeavour. During the work, objects dating back more than a century have been discovered beneath floorboards and in other hidden corners of the palace. Some of the objects seem to have belonged to the palace staff, like a pair of black hobnail boots that had seen better days, but also old Christmas cards, blank Littlewoods Football Pool betting slips from 1957, and a fragment of West End theatre listings published in The Standard in 1889. Pages from a 1966 edition of the Daily Express were also discovered, including an article about the prison where the Great Train Robbers were serving their sentences. “The men who were found guilty of stealing a fortune in mailbags spend their week stitching them for nine shillings,” the article stated.
Another discovery offers a glimpse into the workings of the Royal Household – a document detailing Queen Elizabeth II‘s schedule during a diplomatic reception in 1977, her Silver Jubilee year. The typed document read: “The British guests will be distributed throughout the State Rooms, except the Music Room and West Gallery, where they should be encouraged to talk to the Diplomats.”
The project, the Buckingham Palace Reservicing Programme, was launched to overhaul Buckingham Palace’s ageing infrastructure. The royal residence features 775 rooms: 19 state rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 92 offices, 188 staff bedrooms, and 78 bathrooms. The Royal Family’s official website stated that “The Palace’s electrical cabling, plumbing and heating have not been updated since the 1950s. The building’s infrastructure is in urgent need of a complete overhaul to prevent long-term damage to the building and its contents.”
King Charles III and Queen Camilla will not move into Buckingham Palace after the restoration is complete, but will instead continue to live in Clarence House. This will allow greater public access to the palace, but Buckingham Palace will nevertheless remain the official centre of royal life and the Royal Household’s primary workplace, hosting official events and receptions