77 thousand meters, 775 rooms, 78 bathrooms, 19 state rooms, imposing walls and an unparalleled amount of luxuries and eccentricities make the Buckingham Palace in the dream place, by all, to live.
An architectural monument for some, a shelter for treasures for others and an ancient site full of mysteries for a few others, no one could resist spending the days walking through the gigantic corridors, exploring the incomparable rooms and enjoying each and every one of the opulences typical of the official residence of the British monarch. No one, except for King Carlos III.
After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the life of the current sovereign changed forever: he went from being a direct heir to royalty to, finally, taking his place on the British throne. His proclamation as King, of course, did not come alone; a radical, transcendental and disruptive decision came with her.
Although the royal position left by his mother came with Buckingham Palace included, Charles III chose to ignore the British monarchical tradition – which says the King and his family must live in Buckingham Palace – and decided to continue living, together with his wife Camila Parker, at Clarence House, one of the last aristocratic houses steeped in royal history.
He doesn’t see it as a future home or a house fit for purpose in the modern world. He feels that its maintenance, both economically and environmentally, is not sustainable.
“He doesn’t see it as a future home or a house fit for purpose in the modern world. He feels that its maintenance, both from an economic and environmental point of view, is not sustainable”, warned a source close to the King in dialogue with the British newspaper ‘The Sunday Times’ regarding the reasons that led the monarch not to settle in which, for a long time, has been the home of the sovereigns of the British country.
(Also read: Why does King Charles III not want to live in Buckingham Palace?).
A disruptive decision? Yes, considering that it goes against British traditions. Amazing? No, if the luxuries and eccentricities are added rats, secret passageways and other unusual factors that, among other things, could turn the royal residence into a curious place to live.
Secret passageways in Buckingham Palace?
How could a sovereign of more than 96 years walk through 77 thousand meters and 775 rooms without showing any deterioration in her health? The answer, although not widely accepted, is simple: secret passageways.
Between rumours, speculation and gossip, the theory that Queen Elizabeth II was transported through hidden passageways through Buckingham Palace and other places in London was slowly passing from myth to reality.
(Keep reading: Carlos III: the luxurious jewels that the king will receive at his coronation in 2023).
According to ITV’s ‘Good Morning Britain’ television program in 2015, the deceased sovereign used, daily, a passageway to move faster through the royal palace. “Specifically, the one located behind the large mirror that presides over the room where guests are received and which connects directly with the private rooms,” according to the Spanish newspaper ‘ABC’.
The English journalist and broadcaster Kate Garraway was, precisely, in charge of revealing the existence of this false door in one of the 775 rooms that are part of the royal residence.
“This is the White Drawing Room. It’s pretty, isn’t it?” Garraway recounted as he stopped to look at a huge mirror in the middle of the room. And he added: “If you open this, you can see that there is actually a secret passage behind it that leads to the queen’s private apartments.”
The existence of this secret passageway was also confirmed by Anna Reynolds, curator of the Royal Collection Trust -the extensive collection of works of art and decorative objects of the British Crown-, who said that: “This passageway allows the queen to make an entrance without having to walk through all the different rooms of the palace”, according to the magazine ‘Hello! Magazine’.
To go no further, in the year 2021, Jack Brooksbank -husband of Eugenia, one of Elizabeth II’s granddaughters- unveiled one of the best kept secrets of the British crown. According to him, there is a hidden tunnel that connects Buckingham Palace with one of London’s most famous bars, Dukes Bar.
Buckingham Palace: the safekeeping of the treasures of the kingdom
Hidden, imposing and undisturbed, a few treasures from the Royal Collection Trust – also known as the most important private collection in the world – occupy and overshadow some rooms in the home of the British royal family.
From paintings, watercolors and drawings, to old prints, furniture, tapestries, ceramics and books, Buckingham Palace holds perhaps the greatest cultural treasures in the United Kingdomthe best anecdotes and, also, the most incredible spaces.
(Of interest: Loading your own toilet and other eccentricities of King Carlos III).
“The heart of the palace is the Throne Room which still houses the chairs used at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953”, according to ‘ABC’; however, the residence also has the Ballroom -where the investitures of knights are held and where ‘The Beatles’ received state honors-, a chapel, a doctor’s office, a post office, an indoor swimming pool, a cinema and a staff cafeteria. In the ears of all, a house more than worthy of a king.
In addition to this incomparable artistic and cultural treasure, the exterior of the emblematic enclosure is also not far behind: 325 species of wild flora, 30 species of birds and more than 1,000 trees are the, not inconsiderable, attractions of the British royal residence.
Although living in the imposing historical construction sounds like a dream experience, the reality is that not everything is rosy. According to the American magazine ‘Ad Magazine’, it seems that the palace has a series of flaws and impediments that make it extremely difficult to adapt to serve as a modern residence: “The wiring, for example, had more than 3 thousand meters of damaged and insecure cables and contacts that had to be changed in 2017; while the roof has leaks, which have not been completely repaired to date”.
Rats, unpleasant tenants
Staff working in the lower rooms have become accustomed to seeing small brown mice along the corridors.
Just a few years ago a shocking discovery overshadowed the international media: Buckingham Palace, in addition to serving as the residence and administrative headquarters of the United Kingdom, was also home to hundreds of unwelcome visitors: it was, nothing more and nothing less, that of rats
(You can read: Carlos III, the challenges of the eternal heir who becomes king).
“The staff who work in the lower rooms have become accustomed to seeing small brown mice along the corridors,” a source once told the British newspaper ‘The Sun’ when it became known that a plague of rodents had invaded the pantries and corridors of the royal kitchen in the year 2019.
Both ‘The Sun’ and ‘The Mirror’ and ‘Daily Mail’ – British newspapers recognized in the world – agreed that Queen Elizabeth II was “horrified” to discover that her home and, perhaps, one of the most emblematic buildings of the world, was not immune to rats.
(You may be interested: This is Carlos III, the activist prince who will be monarch of the United Kingdom).
The presence of this type of rodent, although unpleasant, is not new. During World War II, the palace was bombed more than seven times. One of the explosions destroyed the drain and, among other things, flooded the place with hundreds of rats, according to the Spanish newspaper ‘ABC’.
You can also read:
Xavier Dupont: the French count who vanished after murdering his entire family
The day a beer ‘tsunami’ hit London and killed 8 people
The beauty queen killed by her husband who wanted to marry her lover
The ‘challenge’ for doing the perfect crime that put two wealthy people in jail
This is Russia’s ‘Apocalypse Weapon’: It Creates Radioactive Tsunamis
Trends WEATHER
#Secret #passageways #treasures #among #mysteries #Buckingham #Palace