palacevirtualtours.com News http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/ palacevirtualtours.com News en-US © Copyright 1992-2008 Olson Software Limited Buckingham Palace Windsor Castle Versailles Palacevirtualtours.com palacevirtualtours.com 58 /news/Special-Christmas-display-at-Windsor-Castle Windsor Castle Special Christmas display at Windsor Castle <p><img style="margin-right: 5px; margin-left: 5px; float: left;" alt="Christmas tree at Windsor Castle" src="/news/images/tree-2011.jpg" width="470" height="553" />Visitors to Windsor Castle this Christmas will have a special treat, with a special Christmas display including a Christmas tree hung from the ceiling in the Octagon Dining Room.</p> <p>This extremely strange choice of Christmas tree display was started by Prince Albert who had a Christmas tree hung in this style in the private apartments.</p> <p>Visitors will also see the state dining room set for a Christmas dinner and a selection of gifts given by Victoria and Albert.</p> <p>For more information on the story please see <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2066193/Sauceboats-shaped-like-sleighs-giant-conifer-suspended-ceiling--Get-set-Victorian-Christmas-Windsor-castle.html?ito=feeds-newsxml">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2066193/Sauceboats-shaped-like-sleighs-giant-conifer-suspended-ceiling--Get-set-Victorian-Christmas-Windsor-castle.html?ito=feeds-newsxml</a></p> <p>If you wish to see the private apartments of Windsor Castle, you can do so as part of the <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/windsor-castle-virtual-tour">virtual tour of Windsor Castle</a>.</p> Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0700 57 /news/Special-Christmas-pricing- Palacevirtualtours.com Special Christmas pricing! <p>Take advantage today of our special Christmas pricing on our virtual tours!</p> <p>To celebrate Christmas we have slashed prices on our virtual tours - take advantage of them until 25 December.</p> <p>For full pricing see our <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/Purchase">purchase page</a></p> Sat, 10 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0700 56 /news/NZ-PM-meets-Queen-at-Windsor-Castle Windsor Castle NZ PM meets Queen at Windsor Castle <p>New Zealand Prime Minister John Key today met with the Queen at Windsor Castle. He met The Queen in the White Drawing Room, part of the suite of Private Apartments where The Queen lives when at Windsor Castle.</p> <p><img class="" alt="Mr Key with the Queen" width="610" height="444" src="/news/images/key2.jpg" /></p> <p>He had a 45 min audience with Her Majesty in the White Drawing room and then had lunch with The Queen, Prince Edward and Mr Key's wife Bronagh in the Oak Dining room, above the Sovereign's Entrance in the quadrangle.</p> <p>The White Drawing Room is part of the suite of private apartments created for King George IV in the 1820s. Unlike Buckingham Palace, which was not completed before his death, these private apartments completely reflect the taste of George IV and have been virtually unaltered since.&nbsp; They are amongst the most exquisitely decorated rooms in the world. Visitors to Windsor Castle during the winter months can see three of the rooms in the private apartments, the State Dining Room, the Crimson Drawing Room and the Green Drawing Room, from where Mr Key entered the White Drawing room. The rest of the private apartments are off-limits to the public but can be seen in the <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/windsor-castle-virtual-tour">virtual tour of Windsor Castle</a>.</p> <p>To get to the Oak Dining Room and he will have walked down the Grand Corridor which was created by King George IV to provide easier access between the private apartments and displays some of the greatest art and furniture in the Royal Collection.</p> <p>The Oak Dining Room was created for King George IV later in the redecoration project (started in 1829) and was originally called the Gothic Breakfast Room.&nbsp; It overlooks the quadrangle and it has been rumoured that the Queen will sometimes watch people visiting the castle from here.</p> <p><img class="" alt="Mr Key with Queen" width="610" height="446" src="/news/images/key1.jpg" /></p> <p>To learn more about the any of these rooms and see detailed photographs, you can purchase the <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/windsor-castle-virtual-tour">Virtual Tour of Windsor Castle</a>.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> For more information on this story: <a href="http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/key-dines-queen-4143020">http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/key-dines-queen-4143020</a></p> <p>For a video of the Queen meeting Mr Key: <a href="http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/key-dines-queen-4143020/video">http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/key-dines-queen-4143020/video</a></p> Tue, 26 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700 55 /news/Prince-William-and-Kate-Middleton-to-stay-at-Buckingham-Palace Buckingham Palace Prince William and Kate Middleton to stay at Buckingham Palace <p>Prince William and Kate Middleton will break with the royal tradition of leaving Buckingham Palace in a carriage for their wedding night, and instead will stay at Buckingham Palace.<br /> Celebrations after the wedding will include a dinner followed by dancing in the state apartments, including the ballroom and throne room.</p> <p>Rather than returning to Clarence House for their wedding night, the Prince and his bride will stay at Buckingham Palace, most likely in the Belgian Suite which is the suite reserved for VIP visitors.</p> <p>For more details see: <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/04/17/kate-middleton-and-prince-william-will-spend-their-royal-wedding-night-at-buckingham-palace-115875-23068219/">http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/04/17/kate-middleton-and-prince-william-will-spend-their-royal-wedding-night-at-buckingham-palace-115875-23068219/</a></p> <p>Want to see the Belgian Suite and State Apartments for yourself?&nbsp; Purchase the <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/buckingham-palace-virtual-tour">virtual tour of Buckingham Palace</a></p> Sun, 17 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700 48 /news/Ramsay-slams-Buckingham-Palace-food Buckingham Palace Ramsay slams Buckingham Palace food <div>Gordon Ramsay has slammed the quality of food at Buckingham Palace calling It &lsquo;pre-historic&rsquo;.&nbsp;Ramsay is well known for his foul mouthed comments about other chefs.&nbsp;This time he attacked the chefs at Buckingham Palace who are led by chef Mark Flanagan.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Ramsey was commenting on the food that he ate during a reception held at Buckingham Palace.&nbsp;He talks of how he was struggling to swallow the food he was eating as The Queen was coming over to talk with him.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The kitchens at Buckingham Palace were rebuilt as part of the Queen&rsquo;s Gallery project, which saw the expanded Queen&rsquo;s Gallery take over part of the old kitchens.&nbsp;The kitchen is in the southwestern corner of the palace.&nbsp;This has the advantage of being near the ballroom where banquets take place, but the major disadvantage of being a substantial distance from the private apartments where The Queen lives.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Soon after The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh moved into Buckingham Palace the Duke installed some cooking equipment into the private apartments because by the time food came from the kitchens, it was cold!</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>For more information on this story: <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1050575/Foul-mouthed-Ramsay-Ramsay-Food-Buckingham-Palace-prehistoric-s-.html"><font color="#0000ff">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1050575/Foul-mouthed-Ramsay-Ramsay-Food-Buckingham-Palace-prehistoric-s-.html</font></a></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>If you&rsquo;d like to learn more about Buckingham Palace, you can purchase the <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/buckingham-palace-virtual-tour.aspx">Buckingham Palace Virtual Tour</a>.</div> Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 38 /news/Summer-opening-numbers-up Buckingham Palace Summer opening numbers up <p>The Royal Collection will be very pleased with the response to this year&rsquo;s summer opening of Buckingham Palace.&nbsp; It has been reported that the visitor numbers this year have increased 8% from last year, despite a fall in foreign tourists to Britain of 5%.</p> <p>If the numbers continue at this rate, it would result in around 390,000 visitors, compared to 360,000 last year.&nbsp; However this is still below the 400,000 visitors achieved in 2006, the year of the Queen&rsquo;s 80th birthday.</p> <p>It is also very good news for those of us concerned with the condition of the royal palaces, as the money the Royal Collection earns goes into maintaining the substantial contents of the palaces.&nbsp; They are currently repaying a loan taken out for the building of the Queen&rsquo;s Gallery at Buckingham Palace and Holyrood House and hopefully once this is repaid they can use any additional income to help repair the palaces.&nbsp; It is estimated the cost of repairs and refurnishing at the royal properties will amount to &pound;32 million pounds by 2015.&nbsp;</p> <p>For more details: &nbsp;<a href="http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/business/queen-raking-in-the-moolah-as-tourists-rain-down-on-buckingham-palace_10088757.html">http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/business/queen-raking-in-the-moolah-as-tourists-rain-down-on-buckingham-palace_10088757.html</a></p> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>For if you want to learn more about Buckingham Palace, the best way to do so is through the <a href="http://palacevirtualtours.com/buckingham-palace-virtual-tour.aspx">Buckingham Palace Virtual Tour</a>.</div> Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 33 /news/Queen-s-former-chef-told-off-for-being--Tour-Guide---- Buckingham Palace Queen's former chef told off for being "Tour Guide"! <div>In a story that comes as no surprise to us, it has been reported that a former member of the Queen&rsquo;s kitchen staff has been accused by wardens at the summer opening of Buckingham Palace of being an illegal tour guide.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Apparently the pastry chef who worked for the royal family in the kitchens for eleven years was with a group of friends showing them the places he used to work.&nbsp;As he was pointing out a photograph and telling his friends that it wouldn&rsquo;t be laid out exactly that way in the case of a banquet, one of the wardens shouted out that it would be.&nbsp;Of course the chef was actually correct, as although the ballroom is laid out in a similar way to a state banquet, changes have been made in order to accommodate the fact that 400,000 visitors will have to file through the room.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>To add insult to injury once he entered the ballroom and was answering a question from one of his friends about some of the china that is being displayed as part of the exhibition, a warden told him off for being a tour guide.&nbsp;In order to ensure that the visitors are able to move through the Palace easily, tour guides are not allowed during the summer opening.&nbsp;If you visit some of the larger palaces in Europe where this is allowed, you will find that it is often very difficult to move around the group because they are very large.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>However Buckingham Palace has gone to the other extreme, where anyone who answers anybody else&rsquo;s questions is accused immediately of being a tour guide.&nbsp;This has happened to me before where I innocently answered a bystander&rsquo;s question about the door leading into the White Drawing Room from the Royal Closet.&nbsp;I did this because the warden in the room was busy with somebody else.&nbsp;Before I&rsquo;d even got to the Minister&rsquo;s Staircase, the person in charge of the summer opening was up the stairs and telling me off.&nbsp;I was told in no uncertain terms that tour guides are not allowed.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>One of the issues at Buckingham Palace summer opening is that because it is only open two months a year, staff do not necessarily have a good knowledge of the history of the palace.&nbsp;Visitors who ask questions of the wardens often find the warden simply goes to the official guide and comes up with an answer that doesn&rsquo;t add anything to your knowledge.&nbsp;I did encounter one particularly knowledgeable man, but by and large the wardens are there to protect the palace as opposed to inform visitors.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>For more details see: <a href="http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/royalwatch/news/article_1424275.php/Queen_Elizabeths_chef_reprimanded">http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/royalwatch/news/article_1424275.php/Queen_Elizabeths_chef_reprimanded</a></div> <div> <p>If you really do want to learn something about the palace, the Buckingham Palace Virtual Tour is the best place to go.&nbsp;You can download an evaluation version from: <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/buckingham-palace-virtual-tour.aspx"><font color="#0000ff">Virtual tour of Buckingham Palace</font></a>.</p> </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 47 /news/Queen-to-have-own-fire-fighting-force Windsor Castle Queen to have own fire fighting force <div>The Queen is so worried about cutbacks at the Windsor fire station that she is understood to be planning to employ her own fire surveillance staff at Windsor Castle.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Fire safety is very important for The Queen who had to spend &pound;40 million restoring part of the state and private apartments after a fire there in 1992.&nbsp;She is not the only resident of Windsor concerned about cutbacks at the fire station.&nbsp;Other famous residents including Sir Elton John have signed a petition sent to Prime Minister Gordon Brown.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>To learn more about the rooms destroyed by the 1992 fire, you can purchase the <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/windsor-castle-virtual-tour.aspx">Windsor Castle Virtual Tour</a>.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>For more information on the story: <a href="http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/royalwatch/news/article_1425275.php/Queen_Elizabeths_fire-fighters"><font color="#0000ff">http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/royalwatch/news/article_1425275.php/Queen_Elizabeths_fire-fighters</font></a></div> Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 34 /news/Buckingham-Palace-Banquet-on-display Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace Banquet on display <p align="center"><img border="0" alt="Copyright Her Majesty The Queen 2008. Photographer: Simon Robertson" width="450" height="309" src="images/ballroom.jpg" /></p> <p>This year&rsquo;s summer opening of Buckingham Palace is even more special than usual. That&rsquo;s because this year, the Ballroom is set up as it is for a banquet.</p> <p>One of the highlights of any State Visit to the United Kingdom is the State Banquet, held at either Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle. At a State Banquet, Buckingham Palace&rsquo;s Ballroom is set up with a U shaped table and the 170 guests eat off the grand service made for King George IV.</p> <p>Over the last century many of the great royal families of Europe were removed from their thrones, so magnificent sites like this are generally only in museums. From the 29th of July to the 29th of September 2008, visitors to Buckingham Palace will see a cut down version of the layout for a banquet. The tables will be laid with the magnificent grand service and around the side of the ballroom visitors will see additional silver gilt and porcelain from the Royal Collection.</p> <p>The Ballroom at Buckingham Palace was added by Queen Victoria in 1855 to provide room for larger gatherings. When George IV started building Buckingham Palace he intended it only as a private residence so the largest room, the Blue Drawing Room was not large enough for the kind of balls that Queen Victoria wished to hold.</p> <p>After Edward Blore&rsquo;s ugly East Front, a new architect James Pennethorne was chosen to design the new Ballroom and Ball Supper Room. The exterior of the new rooms was consistent with John Nash&rsquo;s original design for Buckingham Palace, but the interior designed by Prince Albert&rsquo;s artistic advisor Ludwig Gruner bore no relationship whatsoever to Nash&rsquo;s designs.</p> <p>When Edward VII came to the throne Buckingham Palace had changed little in the previous 40 years. He immediately set about repainting many of the rooms in white and gold. One of these rooms was the Ballroom. The new colour scheme and additional remodelling substantially improved the room.</p> <p>The Ballroom still suffers today from a lack of natural light, making it the darkest state room in the palace. But nothing can take away from the magnificence of George IV&rsquo;s grand service. A visit to the palace in 2008 is a once in a lifetime chance to see what only a few people will have the opportunity to see &ndash; one of the most magnificent palaces in the world, the way it was meant to be viewed, as a working palace.</p> <p>For a video about the opening: <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7524755.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7524755.stm</a></p> <p>If you want to learn more about Buckingham Palace its magnificent architecture and furnishings, check out the Buckingham Palace Virtual Tour. You can download an evaluation version from: <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/buckingham-palace-virtual-tour.aspx">Virtual tour of Buckingham Palace</a>.</p> Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700 50 /news/Queen-misses-out-on-funding Buckingham Palace Windsor Castle Queen misses out on funding <div>Earlier this year we reported that the government were considering giving The Queen additional funding to repair the royal palaces.&nbsp;See&nbsp;<span class="articletitle"><a id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_ArticleListing1_ListView1_ctrl2_lnkTitle" class="articletitle" href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/news/Queen-gets-money-to-fix-crumbling-palaces.aspx">Queen gets money to fix crumbling palaces</a>&nbsp;</span>for more information.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>It now appears that this rumour was not true and The Queen has lost out to the Olympics, which require &pound;9.3 billion of funding.&nbsp;Even though funding for the maintenance of palaces has fallen 70 per cent in real terms since 1990, the government refuses to add any additional monies to make up for a backlog of maintenance.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Sir Alan Reid, Keeper of the Privy Purse, has revealed they estimate they will need $32 million between now and 2018 to get the maintenance back on track.&nbsp;Unfortunately, since we reported last year&rsquo;s maintenance backlog, virtually nothing has been done because the &pound;5 million The Queen receives for palace maintenance is simply not enough to go around.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>This year it has been revealed the queen is very concerned about the lack of maintenance of the palace state rooms, many of which have not been redecorated since the beginning of her reign in 1952.&nbsp;On this basis, it is a credit to the royal household that the rooms are in as good a condition as they are.&nbsp;There is no question that a large project needs to be started to regild the whole of the state apartments.&nbsp;It is rather depressing to walk around Buckingham palace looking at this magnificent design with such old gilding.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The electrical wiring in the palace has not been renewed since 1948, and all the palaces are lined with asbestos which needs to be removed.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Just replacing the roofs at Buckingham palace and Windsor Castle is estimated that $16 million.</div> <div>For more information on the story see: <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4226646.ece"><font color="#0000ff">Even the Queen is feeling the crunch</font></a></div> <div> <p>The <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/buckingham-palace-virtual-tour.aspx">virtual tour of Buckingham Palace</a> from palacevirtualtours.com allows you to explore the rooms and artwork discussed in this article.&nbsp;&nbsp; An evaluation version of the tour is available for free download.</p> </div> Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700 40 /news/Power-scheme-back-on Windsor Castle Power scheme back on <p>The Queen is supporting a revised scheme to provide power to Windsor Castle via a hydroelectric power plant on the river Thames.&nbsp; The new plans will provide more power, whilst also being cheaper.&nbsp; Another important advantage is that it will allow fish to continue to swim through the river, unlike many hydroelectric projects which stop fish from travelling through the dam.</p> <p>Windsor Castle is the largest occupied castle and the world, and as such uses a substantial amount of power.&nbsp; The revised scheme, whilst more powerful, will still only provide one third of the castle&rsquo;s power usage.</p> <p>For more information on this story, see <a href="http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/50140/Queen-to-go-green">Queen To Go Green</a></p> <div>You can learn more about Windsor Castle by purchasing the <u><a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/windsor-castle-virtual-tour.aspx"><font color="#0000ff">Windsor Castle Virtual Tour</font></a></u></div> Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700 39 /news/Queen-reported-to-be-abandoning-Buckingham-Palace Buckingham Palace Windsor Castle Queen reported to be abandoning Buckingham Palace <p>In another story that makes you wonder how they come up with them, the Daily Star have reported that the Queen is going to abandon Buckingham Palace, so that Princes William and Harry can use it for holding parties.</p> <p>The very concept of the queen could abandon her principal London residence, whilst still fulfilling her duties as monarch is totally ridiculous!&nbsp; The Queen meets with the Prime Minister every week at Buckingham Palace and receives foreign dignitaries along with many other key functions which could not be performed from Windsor Castle.</p> <p>Although Queen Victoria did abandon Buckingham Palace after the death of Prince Albert in 1861, the times are substantially different and it would not be politically feasible for the Queen not to be in London during the week.</p> <p>It certainly is true that The Queen is not hugely fond of Buckingham Palace.&nbsp; Her private apartments are really in the worst possible place, being on the north side where they get almost no sun.&nbsp; They are also not as magnificently decorated as the private apartments at Windsor Castle, where The Queen prefers to spend her time.</p> <p>However, the State Apartments at Buckingham Palace are amongst the most magnificent in the world, with their gilded ceilings setting them apart from any other suite in the world.</p> <p>For more information on the story see: <a href="http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/38764/Party-central-for-princes/">Party Central for Princes</a></p> <div>You can see the magnificent private apartments at Windsor Castle by purchasing the <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/windsor-castle-virtual-tour.aspx"><font color="#0000ff">Windsor Castle Virtual Tour</font></a>.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>You can see the state and private apartments at Buckingham Palace by purchasing the <a href="http://palacevirtualtours.com/buckingham-palace-virtual-tour.aspx">Buckingham Palace Virtual Tour</a>.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> Sun, 25 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700 49 /news/Prince-of-Wales-exhibition-at-Windsor Windsor Castle Prince of Wales exhibition at Windsor <div>From 16<sup>th</sup> of May 2008 ~ 22<sup>nd</sup> of February, 2009, visitors to Windsor Castle will be able to see a special exhibition of photographs of the life of the Prince of Wales.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The exhibition is displayed in the Drawings Gallery which the visitor passes as they enter the State Apartments prior to ascending the Grand Staircase.&nbsp;A new book entitled Charles, Prince of Wales - A Birthday Souvenir Album accompanies the exhibition.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>In November, the Prince of Wales will turn 60.&nbsp;This exhibition celebrates that event.&nbsp;Other events planned to celebrate his birthday include a reception at Buckingham Palace, hosted by The Queen.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>For more information on the story: <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/berkshire/content/articles/2008/05/15/prince_of_wales_exhibit_windsor_castle_feature.shtml"><font color="#0000ff">Celebrating 60 years of HRH The Prince of Wales</font></a></div> Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700 42 /news/Guardian-calls-for-access-to-Buckingham-Palace-garden Buckingham Palace Guardian calls for access to Buckingham Palace garden <p>Guardian columnist Madeline Bunting has called for The Queen to pull down the walls of the Buckingham Palace garden in time for the 2012 Olympics.&nbsp; She argues that the public should be given unlimited access to one of the few remaining green areas in Central London not accessible to the public.</p> <p>She completely misses a couple of key points.&nbsp;</p> <p>The first point is the security of The Queen.&nbsp; If there was unfettered access to the garden of the palace, it would make the job of guarding The Queen almost impossible, as it would be either difficult or impossible to close down any sort of area to keep tourists far enough away from The Queen&rsquo;s private apartments.&nbsp;</p> <p>Secondly, unlike the rest of us, The Queen can&rsquo;t just wander into any of the public parks that surround the palace.&nbsp; Like everyone else should be able to enjoy the outdoors, and if the garden was open to the public, she would hardly be able to walk around it!</p> <p>It&rsquo;s hardly unusual that the head of state has a private garden, visitors can&rsquo;t just wander around the gardens of the White House as they feel like it.&nbsp; In New Zealand the Governor General&rsquo;s house in Wellington has associated gardens.&nbsp; Neither the house nor the gardens are generally accessible to the public.</p> <p>We would love to see greater public access to Buckingham palace and the gardens, but Britain is not a communist country and we can&rsquo;t just take over other people&rsquo;s space.</p> <p>For more information about this story: <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/may/10/monarchy.london">Open those gates, Ma'am</a></p> <div>If you want to learn more about the gardens at Buckingham Palace, the <a href="http://palacevirtualtours.com/buckingham-palace-virtual-tour.aspx">Buckingham Palace Virtual Tour</a> has much more information.</div> Sat, 10 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700 36 /news/Exotic-trees-added-to-Buckingham-Palace Buckingham Palace Exotic trees added to Buckingham Palace <p>The Queen has added some exotic trees to the gardens at Buckingham Palace.&nbsp; The new palm trees were spotted by the Queen at last year&rsquo;s Chelsea Flower Show, and&nbsp;ordered soon afterwards for the Buckingham Palace Garden.</p> <p>The trees are described as having silvery blue &ndash; green, flame shaped leaves.&nbsp; There were supplied by Simon Gridley, from Amulree Exotics, and sourced from Spain.&nbsp; The cost is reported to have been below &pound;800.</p> <p>Because of the cold London climate, they will be stored inside until summer when they will be planted in the gardens.&nbsp; It is not reported where there will be stored, as the original palace conservatories have been converted to a swimming pool and the Queen&rsquo;s Gallery respectively.</p> <p>The Queen&rsquo;s garden is no stranger to exotic imports.&nbsp; For many years the garden was home to a group of pink flamingos, which were unfortunately killed by foxes in the 1980s.</p> <p>For more details see: <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3890030.ece">http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3890030.ece</a></p> <div>If you want to learn more about the gardens at Buckingham Palace, the <a href="http://palacevirtualtours.com/buckingham-palace-virtual-tour.aspx">Buckingham Palace Virtual Tour</a> has much more information.</div> Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700 35 /news/Queen’s-82nd-birthday Windsor Castle Queen’s 82nd birthday <p>Today marks the Queen&rsquo;s 82<sup>nd</sup> birthday.&nbsp;As usual she is spending the day at Windsor Castle.&nbsp;It is officially recognized during Queen&rsquo;s Birthday weekend in June.</p> <div>For more details: see: <a href="http://www.streem.com.au/articles/News/4796/Queen-marks-82nd-birthday-at-Windsor">http://www.streem.com.au/articles/News/4796/Queen-marks-82nd-birthday-at-Windsor</a></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>To learn more about Windsor Castle and the magnificent private apartments where the Queen lives, by purchasing the <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/windsor-castle-virtual-tour.aspx">Windsor Castle Virtual Tour</a>.</div> Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700 44 /news/Palace-G-P’s-slammed Buckingham Palace Palace G P’s slammed <div> <p>It has been revealed that Buckingham Palace has its own GP surgery, accessible only by 300 people working at the palace.&nbsp;It receives payment of &pound;113 per person, compared to the national average of &pound;63 per person.</p> <p>For more information on this story see: <a href="http://www.managementinpractice.com/default.asp?title=WatchdogblastsexclusiveGPsurgeryatPalace&amp;page=article.display&amp;article.id=10184"><font color="#0000ff">Watchdog blasts exclusive GP surgery at Palace</font></a></p> </div> Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700 45 /news/Queen-meets-Aussie-PM Windsor Castle Queen meets Aussie PM <div><img class="" alt="Kevin Rudd" align="left" src="images/rudd.jpg" />Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has visited The Queen at Windsor Castle.&nbsp;He met The Queen in the White Drawing Room, part of the suite of Private Apartments where The Queen lives when at Windsor Castle.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>But the news story was not about Rudd meeting The Queen, it was about the fact that he did not bow when meeting her.&nbsp;Although it is not required, it is deemed respectful to bow your head when you meet a member of the Royal Family.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Australia has been considering becoming a Republic for some period of time, but a referendum held in 1999 retained the monarchy.&nbsp;Unlike previous Prime Minister John Howard, Kevin Rudd is a republican.&nbsp;It is inevitable that at some stage the issue will be debated in Australia again, but some people feel that the issue should be delayed until after The Queen&rsquo;s death.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>To learn more about the White Drawing Room you can purchase the <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/windsor-castle-virtual-tour.aspx">Virtual Tour of Windsor Castle</a>.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>For more information on this story: <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/rudd-didnt-bow/2008/04/09/1207420454246.html"><font color="#0000ff">http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/rudd-didnt-bow/2008/04/09/1207420454246.html</font></a></div> Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700 41 /news/Plain-noise-could-get-worse Windsor Castle Plane noise could get worse <p>Visitors to Windsor Castle could not fail to notice the impact of the countless planes flying to and from Heathrow Airport.&nbsp; In fact, so surprised were some American tourists that the castle was on a flight path, they asked why The Queen built her castle under a flight path!</p> <p>New government documents indicate the situation will get much worse if a third runway is added at Heathrow Airport.&nbsp; Ironically, The Queen, struggling for funds to maintain her palaces, may be entitled to a grant to install double glazing and noise insulation!</p> <p>For more information about this story: <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3646499.ece">Heathrow runway expansion will deafen the Queen</a></p> <div>You can learn more about Windsor Castle by purchasing the <u><a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/windsor-castle-virtual-tour.aspx"><font color="#0000ff">Windsor Castle Virtual Tour</font></a></u></div> Sun, 30 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700 26 /news/PM-lost-in-Windsor-Castle Windsor Castle PM lost in Windsor Castle <p>If you often get lost in large buildings spare a thought for Gordon Brown the British Prime Minister. Apparently he managed to get lost in Windsor Castle on the way to a state banquet! His absence was noticed by several guests including Her Majesty the Queen, who was heard to comment &ldquo;Has the Prime Minister got lost?&rdquo;. The story goes that he got lost in a corridor whilst trying to find a route to the table in St Georges Hall. This doesn't seem a partially likely story as Windsor Castle as least on the principal floor is very well organised and relatively easy to follow, much of the back rooms having been redesigned after the fire of 1992. However, if he had got lost in Buckingham Palace and was never seen from again, no one would be surprised, as the palace is a miss mash of various rooms built on top of each other since the Duke of Buckingham's time 300 years ago. There is a rumor that even Queen Mary managed to get lost in the vast corridors of the palace!</p> <p>Downing Street denies this story, blaming the Queen's staff &ldquo;The Prime Minister always does what he is told on these occasions. He did not have any orientation problems.&rdquo;</p> <p>Had he actually got lost, he could have wandered down the Grand Corridor and explored the magnificent private apartments of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. Should you which to explore these rooms you can.</p> <p>For more details see: <a href="http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/39438/One-s-PM-gets-lorst-">http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/39438/One-s-PM-gets-lorst</a></p> <p>You can see some of the magnificent silver furniture at Windsor Castle by purchasing the <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/windsor-castle-virtual-tour.aspx">Windsor Castle Virtual Tour</a>.</p> Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700 43 /news/Queen-looking-for-footmen Buckingham Palace Windsor Castle Queen looking for footmen <p>Like most other employers, The Queen finds it difficult to find good employees.&nbsp; At the moment she is advertising for new footmen.</p> <p>Despite the low pay rate, the job comes with the perk of one of the most famous addresses in the world.&nbsp;</p> <p>You will work in the most magnificent State Apartments in the world, the setting for some of the great pageantry of British life.&nbsp; You&rsquo;ll serve at the some of these magnificent events including State Banquets, part of the regular State Visits held at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.&nbsp; You will be capable of standing for very long periods of time.&nbsp; At these great events footmen spend a lot of time standing and very little time sitting down.</p> <p>After a period of time you may even serve the royal family themselves.&nbsp; The Queen&rsquo;s Private Apartments at Buckingham Palace have attractive gilded ceilings, but if you have the chance to visit her Private Apartments at Windsor Castle, you&rsquo;ll be privileged enough to see what is probably the most magnificent suite of Private Apartments in the world today.</p> <p>If you want to visit some of these magnificent rooms, including the State and Private Apartments, but do not wish to become a footman, you can purchase the <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/buckingham-palace-virtual-tour.aspx">Buckingham Palace</a> or <a href="http://localhost:56034/palacevirtualtours/windsor-castle-virtual-tour.aspx">Windsor Castle</a> Virtual Tours.</p> <div>For more information on this story: <a href="http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23437215-401,00.html">Queen advertises for trainee butlers</a></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700 28 /news/Queen-gets-money-to-fix-crumbling-palaces Buckingham Palace Windsor Castle Queen gets money to fix crumbling palaces <p>Last year Buckingham Palace announced that it was struggling to find enough money to fund critical maintenance. See <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/news/showarticle.aspx?id=15">Buckingham Palace crumbling</a> for details.</p> <p>It appears the government may be at last providing additional help in the form of one million pounds over the next three years. This is clearly ridiculously insufficient in order to stop these buildings from falling apart. &pound;2million is required simply to stop the ceiling of the Victoria and Albert Mausoleum at Windsor from falling in! Let alone the leaking roof in the picture gallery, the east side of the quadrangle falling apart (&pound;3million alone), the roofs at both Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace are also in need of replacement.</p> <p>This doesn't even consider the need for redecoration of the state apartments which has been postponed indefinitely. The government needs to massively increase the funding for these jobs if it doesn't want to be embarrassed at the 2012 Olympics where no doubt Buckingham Palace will be a key component in showing off London to the world.</p> <p>The government should already be embarrassed that Lancaster House, managed by the foreign office which was restored to its opulent best in the 1990s is in better condition than the principal palace of the Queen.</p> <p>For more details see: <a href="http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=200350&version=1&template_id=38&parent_id=20">http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&amp;item_no=200350&amp;version=1&amp;template_id=38&amp;parent_id=20</a>.</p> <p>To view Buckingham Palace for yourself purchase the <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/buckingham-palace-virtual-tour.aspx" _fcksavedurl="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/buckingham-palace-virtual-tour.aspx">virtual tour of Buckingham Palace</a>.</p> Sat, 08 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700 24 /news/Queen-to-keep-her-view Buckingham Palace Queen to keep her view <p>After an outcry from Londoners, plans to build two new skyscrapers close to Buckingham Palace have been scraped, or at least modified. The plan was to build a two 380ft towers just 50yards from the palace. This has been changed to a single tower of 240ft. If the new option is in anyway visible behind the palace from the Mall, it two should be scraped.</p><p>Unfortunately London has not learnt from the success of cities like St Petersburg which have not allowed any high rise buildings in the city centre to ensure that the flavour of the city is not altered. The Prince of Wales has been an outspoken critic of London's policy of allowing skyscrapers near historic buildings. In a recent example a building was approved which would appear behind St Paul's Cathedral, potentially ruining that view as well.</p><p>Another potential issue with building skyscrapers near Buckingham Palace is the reduction in the Queen's privacy. Over the past 50 years several buildings have been built overlooking the palace gardens and trees have had to be planted in order to give the Queen the ability to walk around unseen. She values her time with her corgis walking around the garden, which she does as often as she can.</p><p>Unfortunately it does not look like the building policies are going to change in the near future so London skylines could continue to be ruined for some time to come.</p><p>For more details see: <a href="http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23437053-details/Majestic+views+from+Buckingham+Palace+saved/article.do">http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23437053-details/Majestic+views+from+Buckingham+Palace+saved/article.do</a>.</p><p>Want to see the gardens of Buckingham Palace for yourself? Purchase the <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/buckingham-palace-virtual-tour.aspx">virtual tour of Buckingham Palace</a>.</p> Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0700 29 /news/Silver-Furniture-on-show-at-Versailles Versailles Silver Furniture on show at Versailles <p>Visitors to the Palace of Versailles often wonder why there is so little furniture. There are really three explanations for this:</p> <ul> <li>Firstly and principally, after the revolution, a large portion of the furniture was sold off to raise funds for the new government. But it was not just the furniture that was removed, visitors will notice fewer carpets, chandeliers and curtains than in Louis XVI's day. </li> <li>Secondly, the state apartments were used as entertainment rooms and did not contain huge amounts of furniture. </li> <li>Thirdly, in December 1689 Louis XIV melted down his silver furniture that originally decorated these magnificent state apartments. His aggressive foreign policy had lead to another expensive war and in order to pay for it the furniture had to go. After the war, new furniture was created but was gilded rather than being made of solid silver.</li> </ul> <p>A new exhibition, <i>When Versailles Was Furnished in Silver</i>, which runs until 9 March, gives a visitor a idea of the opulence of Versailles in the reign of Louis XIV. Made up of silver furniture from the great palaces of Europe including Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace, the state apartments are arranged in a way that would have been familiar to Louis XIV. The Hall of Mirrors is even decorated with a replica throne and dais.</p> <p>For more details see: <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=a6gJgh7Blh1o&refer=muse">http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&amp;sid=a6gJgh7Blh1o&amp;refer=muse</a>.</p> <p>You can see some of the magnificent silver furniture at Windsor Castle by purchasing the <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/windsor-castle-virtual-tour.aspx">Windsor Castle Virtual Tour</a>.</p> Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0700 15 /news/Buckingham-Palace-crumbling Buckingham Palace Windsor Castle Buckingham Palace crumbling <p>Buckingham Palace is appealing to the Government to cover a massive shortfall in the maintenance funds available to them.&nbsp; Millions of pounds are needed to stop the Royal Palaces from crumbling.&nbsp; Over the past 15 years, the funding provided by the government for the maintenance of the Royal Palaces has decreased dramatically in real terms.&nbsp; This has resulted in the eastern side of the Buckingham Palace quadrangle beginning to crumble, the roof of the Picture Gallery leaking, the State Apartments needing redecoration and&nbsp;the ceiling of the Victoria and Albert Mausoleum falling down, just to name a few problems.</p> <p>The eastern facade of the quadrangle was created in 1847 by Edward Blore to provide accommodation for Queen Victoria's growing family.&nbsp; Not only was it an architectural disaster, looking more like a train station than a Palace and closing off John Nash's magnificent entrance portico, but it was built from Caen stone.&nbsp; This deteriorated very quickly in the smoggy London air and within a few years had to be painted to stop the facade from crumbling.&nbsp; In 1913, the eastern front was refaced in Portland stone which wears very well in London.&nbsp; The eastern side of the quadrangle was not refaced and the 19 layers of paint are now beginning to crack, resulting in the facade falling to the ground at an ever increasing rate.&nbsp; Last year, a piece of the facade narrowly missed the Princess Royal's car and during a science exhibition at the Palace pieces of the centre arch collapsed.&nbsp; However, this problem will cost &pound;3million to fix and would take five years.</p> <p>It is not just Buckingham Palace that is collapsing, the Victoria and Albert Mausoleum at Windsor is also starting to crumble with pieces of the highly decorated ceiling starting to fall off.&nbsp; This project has been indefinitely delayed as it will cost around &pound;2million.</p> <p>Much more attention needs to be paid to the roofs at both Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace.&nbsp; At Buckingham Palace, the nearly 100 year old glass roof of the picture gallery is starting to leak.&nbsp; Water stains have been seen on the silk of the walls of the picture gallery which means it's not just getting through the roof, but also the glass ceiling of the Picture Gallery.&nbsp; Ironically, the previous ceiling of the Picture Gallery was removed and replaced with the more modern and ugly roof in 1914 because it was leaking!&nbsp; The cost of fixing the roof is estimated at &pound;1.8million.</p> <p>The rest of the roofing at Buckingham Palace is now over 120 years old and is in need of replacement.&nbsp; At Windsor Castle, the roofs of the Upper Ward need replacement, but are being patched at present.&nbsp; One cannot over emphasise the disaster that would occur if a major leak occurred.&nbsp; At the Picture Gallery in Buckingham Palace in particular are some of the most valuable paintings in the world.&nbsp;</p> <p>Of more concern to visitors of the Palace, the State Apartments are in desperate need of redecoration and this has also been postponed indefinitely, even though the cost is only &pound;600,000 per year.&nbsp; Walking through the State Apartments in their current condition is slightly depressing with the rooms desperately needing to be regilded in order to return them to the glorious richness of effect originally intended.&nbsp; This effect can be seen clearly at Windsor Castle where the rooms which were destroyed by fire in 1992 are an exceptional tribute to the talent of the workmen involved and the vision of King George IV.</p> <p>The Palace is requesting an increase in funding of &pound;1million per year, so they can try and clear this major backlog of maintenance which has developed because of very careful management by the Queen's financial team who have tried to live within an impossible budget.</p> <p>For more information on this story, including a video, please see <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6250432.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6250432.stm</a></p> <p>The <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/buckingham-palace-virtual-tour.aspx">virtual tour of Buckingham Palace</a> from palacevirtualtours.com allows you to explore the rooms and artwork discussed in this article.&nbsp; You can see the new and the old ceiling of the Picture Gallery and learn more about the quadrangle and its history.&nbsp; An evaluation version of the tour is available for free download.</p> Fri, 29 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700 22 /news/women-guards-at-windsor-castle-and-buckingham-palace Buckingham Palace Windsor Castle Women guarding Royal Palaces for the first time <p>For the first time women soldiers are guarding Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.&nbsp; At Windsor Castle, there are five women soldiers, part of the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, and at Buckingham Palace Captain Chloe Madden of the Army Air Corps has made history by being the first female to guard the world's most famous palace.</p> <p>For more information on this story, see&nbsp; <a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1088502">Women on guard at Queen's residences .</a></p> Mon, 02 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0700 16 /news/hydro-delay-at-windsor-castle Windsor Castle Windsor Hydro Project is delayed <p>The Windsor Hydro Project which is intended to provide 1/3 of the power to Windsor Castle, at the cost of around &pound;1m has been delayed again.&nbsp; The project was expected to be completed by the end of 2006 but work is still not moving forward.&nbsp; This is one of a number of &quot;green&quot; projects the Royal Household are working on to ensure the Queen is as environmentally friendly as possible.</p> <p>For more information on this story, see&nbsp; <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/berkshire/6445425.stm">Windsor hydro project hits delays</a></p> Tue, 13 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0700 18 /news/queen-victoria's-wedding-cake-on-display-at-windsor-castle Windsor Castle Queen Victoria's Wedding Cake on display at Windsor Castle <p>As part of the celebrations of the Queen's Diamond Wedding Jubilee (60 years), the Royal Collection are displaying a number of wedding related memorabilia at Windsor Castle from April.&nbsp; Included in this display is a piece of Queen Victoria's Wedding Cake, now 167 years old!&nbsp; There are also photographs and other items from the weddings of Edward VII, George V, George VI, and Queen Elizabeth II.</p> <p>The exhibition continues until March 2008 and is situated in the Drawings Gallery at Windsor Castle.&nbsp; This Gallery is at the top of the Entrance Steps to the State Apartments.</p> Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0700 19 /news/queens-guard-to-be-reduced-at-windsor-castle-and-buckingham-palace Buckingham Palace Windsor Castle Queen's Guard to be reduced? <p><img height="355" width="143" align="left" border="0" alt="" src="images/Guard.jpg" />The British Army are facing some major financial challenges as the cost of continuing to fight the Iraq war grows.&nbsp; Defence bosses are understood to be considering reducing the 2000 troops that guard the Queen at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace down to 1300.&nbsp; This would allow them to be re-allocated to Iraq or Afghanistan.</p> <p>The troops at the Palaces are generally ceremonial and stand for hours at a time.&nbsp;</p> Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0700 20 /news/rare-look-inside-the-queen's-wine-collection-at-buckingham-palace Buckingham Palace Rare look inside the Queen's Wine Collection <p>The Queen has allowed the Telegraph newspaper a rare glimpse inside the wine cellars of the Palace.&nbsp; At least some of the structures of the cellars date back to the Duke of Buckingham, one of the earlier owners of the House.&nbsp; Today the cellars hold over <font face="Arial">&pound;</font><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">2million worth of wine.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The newspaper was allowed access in order to promote the Palace's energy saving initiatives. Over the next few months the cellars will be cooled by water taken from below the Palace. The bore used for this cooling was created in 2002 to provide air conditioning for the new Queen's Gallery. The Palace are now expanding the use of this bore to provide cooling for additional areas of the Palace, including the 300 year old wine cellars.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">For more information see : </font><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/05/nwine05.xml">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/05/nwine05.xml</a> </p> Mon, 05 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0700 17 /news/new-tvs-at-buckingham-palace Buckingham Palace New TVs at Buckingham Palace <p>Apparently the Queen has ordered 100 new LCD and Plasma Televisions for Buckingham Palace from Samsung.&nbsp; The details of the specific sets ordered have not been made available but Samsung have commented that if they stay in use for 5 years, they would get the right to use the Royal Warrant on their products.&nbsp; According to reports, this is the first time the Royal Family have paid for televisions, with previous sets being donated.</p> <p>For more details see:&nbsp; <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2006/12/15/buckingham-palace-orders-100-samsung-flat-panels-to-watch-uks-t/">http://www.engadget.com/2006/12/15/buckingham-palace-orders-100-samsung-flat-panels-to-watch-uks-t/</a></p> <p>Several members of the Royal Family live at Buckingham Palace.&nbsp; It is the principal London home of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, as well as the Duke of York, the Princess Royal and the Earl and Countess of Wessex.&nbsp; The Queen has a suite of private apartments on the north side of the Palace, whilst her children have apartments on the East Front.&nbsp; You can visit the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh's Private Apartments as part of the <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/buckingham-palace-virtual-tour.aspx">Buckingham Palace Virtual Tour</a>.</p> Fri, 15 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0700 14 /news/birds-change-call-in-buckingham-palace-garden Buckingham Palace Birds change call in Buckingham Palace Garden <p>Great Tits, a kind of bird resident in Buckingham Palace Garden have been found to make a distinctly different call in this urban environment than in more rural settings.&nbsp; Buckingham Palace is set in the bustling heart of Central London and noise levels in the garden from the surrounding traffic mean that in order to be heard, the Great Tits have had to adapt their calls.</p> <p>For more information on this story, see&nbsp; <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/12/05/nbird05.xml">Palace great tits learn to sing louder to cope with the noise of city life.</a></p> <p>The Buckingham Palace Garden is the largest private garden in London with a size of around 40 acres, including a 4 acre lake.&nbsp; It is home to a variety of bird and aquatic life, and connected with the surrounding great parks of London, provides a safe haven for animal life in one of the world's busiest cities.&nbsp; For more information on the Palace Garden, including photos, you can purchase the <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/buckingham-palace-virtual-tour.aspx">Buckingham Palace Virtual Tour</a>.</p> Tue, 05 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0700 21 /news/restoration-of-the-hall-of-mirrors Versailles Restoration of the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles <table cellspacing="3" cellpadding="3" width="100%" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top"><img height="375" alt="" width="250" border="0" src="../verthumb/img_5782.jpg" /><br /> The Hall of Mirrors in the early stages of Restoration.</td> <td valign="top">The first complete restoration of the Hall of Mirrors since it was created over 300 years ago has now begun.&nbsp; The project will last three years and will be complete in May 2007.&nbsp; In the meantime the Hall of Mirrors is partially closed to the public.&nbsp; However, you can still view it and learn more about this great room from our <a href="http://www.palacevirtualtours.com/versailles-virtual-tour.aspx">Versailles Virtual Tour</a>. <p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in">For more information about the restoration please visit:</p> <p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in"><a href="http://www.vinci.com/sponsorship.nsf/web/index.htm">http://www.vinci.com/sponsorship.nsf/web/index.htm</a></p> <p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in">&nbsp;</p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Wed, 01 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0700