Buckingham Palace State Rooms

Today we took a guided tour of the State Rooms of Buckingham Palace, the setting for official ceremonial occasions.  For security reasons, we were not able to take photographs.  For one hour we wandered through various drawing rooms and galleries, and up and down staircases. One highlight was the Throne Room. The focus of the enjoyable and educational tour was the history of the building and the people occupying it over time.  Queen Victoria was the first sovereign to rule from Buckingham Palace in 1837.  Fortunately, Britain's Royal Family escaped the fate of other royals such as the Romanoffs of Russia or Marie Antoinette of France in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Buckingham Palace today is undergoing a major renovation, which will cost around 500 million US dollars,.  The renovation of the 775-room Palace, should be completed in 2027.  Eddie and I agreed that one or two of the rooms were a little musty-looking but most of the rooms were magnificent.  We'll have to wait and see what changes William and Kate will make to the grand home and museum.