The Royal Mews - Buckingham Palace + Kensington Palace England

The Royal Mews - Buckingham Palace What there is to see: The Royal Mews is an important branch of the Lord Chamberlain's Office and provides road transport for The Queen and members of the Royal Family by both horse-drawn carriage and motor car. It is also one of the finest working stables still in existence, responsible for the training of the Windsor Greys and Cleveland Bays, the horses that pull the royal carriages. State vehicles are housed and maintained at the Royal Mews. They include the carriages used for royal and State occasions, such as State Visits, weddings and the State Opening of Parliament. Carriages from the Royal Mews are also used on roughly 50 occasions each year to convey newly appointed High Commissioners and Ambassadors from their official residence to Buckingham Palace to present their credentials to The Queen. Since 1843 the daily messenger Brougham has set out from the Royal Mews to collect and deliver post between Buckingham Palace and St James's Palace. The most dazzling of all coaches housed in the Royal Mews is the Gold State Coach, which has been used at every coronation since that of George IV in 1821 Multimedia guide is included in the admission price and is available in the following languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Russian Guided tours in English are available at intervals throughout the day. Guidebooks are available in English. wheelchair access number- 0303 123 7324 Outdated Royal Mews closures. Please direct readers to the Royal Collection Trust website's closures list to ensure they get up-to-date closure dates. Use the following copy:As a working royal residence, the site is subject to closure or partial closure at short notice, please check Royal Collection Trust's website for the latest closure dates: https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/travel-trade-and-groups/tour-planning    Kensington Palace & Diana Her Fashion Story ?Diana: Her Fashion Story? will trace the evolution of the Princess?s style, from the demure, romantic outfits of her first public appearances, to the glamour, elegance and confidence of her later life. From her earliest royal engagements, everything Diana wore was closely scrutinised, and the exhibition will explore how she navigated her unique position in the public eye: learning to use her image to engage and inspire people, and to champion the causes she cared about. Discover exquisite and celebrated outfits from throughout the Princess?s public life. The exhibition will bring together an extraordinary collection of garments, ranging from the glamorous evening gowns worn on engagements in the 1980s, to the chic Catherine Walker suits that made up Diana?s ?working wardrobe? in the 1990s. The Princess?s relationship with her favourite designers will be explored through a display of some of their original fashion sketches, created for her during the design process. Exhibition highlights will include the pale pink Emanuel blouse worn for Diana?s engagement portrait by Lord Snowdon in 1981, and Victor Edelstein?s iconic ink blue velvet gown, famously worn at the White House when the Princess danced with John Travolta. A blue tartan Emanuel suit, worn for an official visit to Venice in the 1980s, will go on display in public for the first time. The suit, a rare survival of the Princess?s daywear, was only recently rediscovered and acquired by Historic Royal Palaces ? the charity responsible for Kensington Palace - at auction.  * Please note, this exhibit is due to be very popular, queues are to be expected. The King's State Apartments Explore these sumptuous set of rooms, each grander than the last. The Queen's State Apartments Explore these intimate, private rooms created for Queen Mary II, who ruled jointly with her husband, King William III, in the 17th century.  Grand chambers of the State Apartments The King's Staircase is the first link to the circuit of rooms making up the King's State Apartments. All the great and good of Georgian London would have climbed up these stairs to visit the king. The Presence Chamber is where the monarch received courtiers, ministers and foreign ambassadors. Take a photo on the spot where a magnificent throne canopy would once have been located. The Palace Gardens Highlights of the palace gardens The Sunken Garden The beautiful Sunken Garden was planted in 1908, transforming part of the gardens previously occupied by potting sheds into a tranquil ornamental garden of classical proportions.  Cradle Walk An arched arbour of red-twigged lime, the walk surrounds the sunken garden with arched viewpoints equally spaced along the sides. In the summer this shady tunnel provides the perfect place to view the bright colours in the Sunken Garden to the north or the re-landscaped gardens to the south. Formal gardens Kensington Gardens began life as a King's playground; for over 100 years, the gardens were part of Hyde Park and hosted Henry VIII's huge deer chase. When William and Mary established the palace in 1689, they began to create a separate park. Mary commissioned a palace garden of formal flower beds and box hedges. This style was Dutch and designed to make William, who came from Holland, feel at home.

The Royal Mews - Buckingham Palace One of the finest working stables in existence, the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace provides a unique insight into the department of the Royal Household that provides transport by road for The Queen and other members of the Royal Family.  The Carriage Horses During your visit to the Mews, you may see some of The Queen?s horses that draw the coaches and carriages in the Mews. The Cleveland Bays are used to escort newly appointed High Commissioners and Ambassadors to their audience with The Queen, when they present their formal credentials from their country?s Head of State. You may also see the famous Windsor Greys, so called because they were kept at Windsor during the reign of Queen Victoria and drew the private carriages of the royal family. They are at least 16.1 hands (1.65 metres) high and are chosen for their steady temperament and stamina. Coaches & Livery The Royal Mews houses the royal collection of historic carriages and coaches, which you may see in use during your visit. Among the vehicles on display are the Irish State Coach, in which The Queen travels to the State Opening of Parliament, and the Australian State Coach, which combines traditional craftsmanship with 20th-century technology to provide heating and remote-controlled windows. The most dazzling vehicle of all is the Gold State Coach, which was built for George III in 1762.  Weighing almost four tonnes and requiring eight horses to pull it, it has carried every monarch to their coronation since 1821. Visitors to the Royal Mews can also see some of the fine livery worn by The Queen?s coachmen. Apart from a few small details, it remains much the same as it was in Victorian times.  Remarkably, some of the tailors used for production of liveries today are the same companies employed during the reign of George III in the 18th century. Multimedia guide is included in the admission price and is available in the following languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Russian Image 3: Photographer: Pawel Libera, Royal Collection Trust / (c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2013 Kensington Palace & Diana Her Fashion Story Ticket includes access to: Kensington Palace & Gardens Diana: Her Fashion Story The Palace?s ever-changing exhibitions The Kings and Queens State Apartments   Highlights: Take in the magnificant King's State Apartments Explore the beautiful sunken garden which was planted in 1908. Go back in time and learn what life was like as a 17th and 18th-century royal courtier. Important Information: If you choose 'Print at Home' you will need to print out all tickets and present them at the point of entry. At present Kensington Palace does not accept tickets on mobile devices.