Parts of Buckingham Palace in London and Balmoral Castle in Scotland will open to the public for the first time this summer, it was announced on Wednesday.
Buckingham's renovated east wing will be opened to the public for the first time as part of a guided tour, said the Royal Collection Trust, which is responsible for opening the royal residences of King Charles III to the public.
The entrance will give access to the main corridor where Thomas Gainsborough's paintings are displayed, and to the room next to the famous balcony where the royal family greets the public gathered on the Mall.
However, visitors will not be able to wave from that balcony.
This wing of the palace was built between 1847 and 1849 to house Queen Victoria's large family, giving Buckingham a rectangular shape rather than a horseshoe.
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It will open to the public in July and August after more than five years of work, as part of a £369 million ($467 million) refurbishment programme, mainly to renew electrical wiring and plumbing.
A guided tour of this part of Buckingham Palace must be purchased in addition to the regular admission ticket to the palace, for a total of £75.
Reservations for these day tours, available to a limited number of people between June 15 and August 31, will open on April 10.
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The classic summer visit to the famous royal residence will take place over a longer period, between July 11 and September 29, 2024.
Meanwhile, between July 1 and August 4, visitors will be able to access certain parts of Balmoral Castle, the summer residence of the House of Windsor in Scotland, before the arrival of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
40 tickets will be sold each day and each ticket will cost £100, or £150 with an English tea break.
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These will be the first extended visits to the favorite castle of Elizabeth II, who died there in September 2022. They were previously limited to the garden and ballroom.
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