History of Buckingham Palace | most famous royal residence | home of the monarchy | History Calling

It’s the HOME OF THE MONARCHY and the arguably the most famous royal residence on the planet, but what is the history of Buckingham Palace? In today’s royal palaces documentary from History Calling, you’re going to find out.

We’ll start at the beginning, with who built the first known home on the spot where King Charles’s official residence now stands. Originally known as Goring House, then Arlington House the eventual Buckingham House was only built after the estate came into the possession of John Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham and Normanby and that of course is why it’s called Buckingham Palace today. I’ll also reveal how and why it came into royal hands in the early 1760s when it was sold it to King George III for the use of his wife, Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Her use of it led to it being known for a time as the Queen’s House too.

We’ll look at the architect who designed Buckingham Palace as we know it today, John Nash and at the way in which the building has been altered over the centuries so that it was transformed from Queen Charlotte’s home into the building you see now (changes which occurred largely during the reign of her son, George IV). I’ll also show you the interior of Buckingham Palace including the throne room and the famous Buckingham Palace gardens, where parties are held by the royal family to celebrate the achievements of ordinary British citizens.

We’ll look at the bombing of Buckingham Palace in World War II at some of the most famous events to happen in Buckingham Palace, including the use of the balcony at Buckingham Palace for royal appearances.

I hope you enjoy this video about the building which is the home of the British monarchy, one of the most famous buildings in the world and where the King lives (sometimes).

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

CORONATIONS PLAYLIST
THE REAL QUEEN CHARLOTTE
LIFE OF ELIZABETH II
HISTORY OF CORONATIONS
CORONATION CROWN
WILD ADVENTURES OF THE SCOTTISH CROWN JEWELS
STONE OF SCONE
QUEEN VICTORIA’S COMICAL CORONATION

GEAR USED

LEARN MORE:

Want to watch/hear/read more about history (and a whole host of other topics)? Then you might benefit from a free Prime video or Audible trial. They are available from the following links:

PRIME VIDEO
AUDIBLE
AUDIBLE PLUS & AUDIBLE PREMIUM PLUS

Creative Commons licenses used

Open Street Map copyright information

NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.

[kellie]

The way Queen Elizabeth handled the tresspasser was iconic. I'm not exactly a huge fan of the modern royal family but she was like the nation's grandma and I was sad when she passed. I was starting to think she'd outlive us all lol.

[Ninxz]

You are most definitely my favorite royal history channel, the quality of your research and that an actual historian is actually behind it always shows in your videos. Thank you for all you do!

[dtchouros]

I have always loved English/European history. The palace has been on my bucket list since I was 17 and that was forty years ago. Planning a trip for later in the year. THANK YOU for your wonderful history lesson and story telling!

[Lisette]

The triangle parts at the top of the castle are called pediments. As per Oxford dictionary: pediments are "the triangular upper part of the front of a building in classical style, typically surmounting a portico of columns".😊Thanks for the awesome video! I've watched the changing of the guard at BP, it was so interesting!

[missyme]

Before I watched your video, all I knew was that it became a royal residence with Queen Victoria. What an in-depth detailed video you have given to us! Thank you for your hard work researching putting this together. Just one last thing, I need to go there on one of the summer tours! The rooms, from what I've seen in recent pictures, are breathtaking. And I love how the Queen mother and King George refused to be evacuated after the Palace was bombed in WW2. Great video, I thoroughly enjoyed it! 😊❤🇬🇧

[chrisbanks]

Fascinating HC. Didn't really know too much about this, even though I've seen and walked past it enough times. Fun fact - Did you know that Edward VII (the well known lothario !) was the only monarch to be born and to die there. Useless fact - there are approx 1.3 miles of corridors in Buck House.

[xeniaplayspiano]

The first time I've heard Princess Alice mentioned for a long time. A close family member of mine was on her staff and also served other royals. Sadly no sordid tales to tell, they are very discreet and apparently the princess was a very pleasant lady.

[stephencarrillo]

👏👏👏Every time you show old maps I wish time travel was possible, HC; just to walk on the grounds and feel the atmosphere would be amazing. I had tingles when I stood in Mitre Square while on a nighttime Ripper tour years ago. Favorite royal residence? The Summer Palace of Peter the Great was quite spectacular. Thanks for this, HC! 🙏🏼

[nbryant]

I'm still amazed the King and Queen stayed in London during WWII. And even more amazed Buckingham Palace wasn't destroyed. If I ever get back to The UK im going to take a tour.

[mi_kirsh]

I love that you post on Monday now - it’s like a treat at the end of the worst day of the week.

[maryloumawson]

Of all the King's residences, I'd have to say Winsor Castle would be my favorite. Of course, I've not had the opportunity to visit any of them yet, but it's on the bucket list. But from afar, I think the reason goes back to my love and reverence of history. I love the fact that it's been standing there as the monarch's home for a thousand years. I realize it's been altered and updated etc. but to my knowledge, it has been occupied by every monarch going back to William the Conqueror. I think Queen Elizabeth II thought of it as "home" even if it wasn't a holiday home that she might have preferred, such as Balmoral. Various other monarchs who were mainly associated with other palaces - Hampton Court comes to mind, never the less, also spent time at Windsor. Remember The Merry Wives of Windsor? It is also where the private archives are kept. To me, at least, it represents the entire history of England, (maybe that's why the royals named themselves after it?) and I would dearly love to see it. Thanks for the great content. Of course I'd love to visit Buckingham too!

[SilvanaTheNonCraftingCrafter]

Thank you so much for featuring John Evelyns diaries so prominently! He was a far better diarist than Pepys & his story is a fascinating one: a humanist before humanism, a pre abolition abolitionst (he was close friends with Thomas Equiano & Ignatio Sancho, both free black men), host to Peter the Great & an amazing horticulturalist. If you ever diverge from Royal history, he should be close to the top of your list :)

[DM-lccf]

Was very pleased to be able to see the staterooms this last September. The gallery with all the beautiful paintings, and the paintings of Queen Victoria, her children etc were memorable. I was last in the UK in 1979, so Buckingham Palace was not an option to see then. I was under the illusion that the staterooms were in the front, so it was helpful to actually be there and see the Palace behind the front. It was very enjoyable, and we had a quick tea overlooking the garden, although it was very windy that day. I wish we had been able to go to the mews and the Queens Gallery. On a practical note, If you do visit, make sure you use the facilities before you get to the Palace as they are only available after the tour....There is a very nice gift shop too. I love Hampton Court Palace, to that is probably my favorite residence (historical) although our visit there on this trip was too short. The gardens are so beautiful, and it was fun to see an Arizona Agave cactus there, just like I have at home.

[NicolaW]

Thank you very much for this History of an iconic Building!

[MauraVH]

Had the chance to visit Buckingham Palace, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace and Windsor Castle last year. I absolutely loved the guides/room attendants in Kensington as they were so incredibly knowledgable and helpful, I could listen to them all day - would visit again in a heartbeat just to hear them speak! Hampton Court is also incredible in that aspect and I feel like you could easily spend more than a day there to discover everything (especially since the audio tour is quite lengthy). I found Windsor to be an understandable favourite of the royal family because it does feel the most home-y of all of them but still has breathtaking interiors and the chapel is wonderful. The Buckingham Palace tour kind of underwhelmed me, lovely as it was, because I feel like they left out a lot of the history in the audioguides and I don't think the room attendants had received any training or were informed of the rooms' histories because whenever I asked a question they had no idea. I find having guides to talk to in these places are a tremendous benefit to the experience when visiting them.

[Loyal-cat]

I was lucky to visit BP on the first year Queen Elizabeth ll opened it as the fundraising for the Windsor castle repair. My mom and I took a travelled from Seattle to England, Wales and Ireland. We waited in line and the majority of people with us were British. I was in awe of the grandeur and the feeling that the residents were not the usual people. Thanks for your video about the history of this famous site

[sugarplum]

You never cease to amaze me with your in-depth research and delightful commentary. Your content delights and informs your viewers. Thank you for your hard work and dedication in keeping history alive and relative. You are a real treasure!

[aliceingoryland]

I truly appreciate the way you research and present each video. When I was in university, my main professor demanded primary sources, or had us annotate that a source was secondary if it was necessary to use.

[ns-wzmx]

i always forget to remember things like locations in different time periods if that makes sense. thinking about the land where this is now, during the Tudor times is just so neat. i wonder what would’ve become of it had it been out of the royal families hands. amazing to see how much it has changed over the years, i always figured it looked the way it does now!

[patrickc]

Another 10/10 video HC!! Thanks again for all the effort you go to. I’ve actually searched in the past for a decent video on the history of Buckingham Palace and found it hard to find a good one. If you get a chance, you should watch Olivia Coleman reciting that letter from the Queen Mother, on “Letters Live”. Definitely recommend. She plays the part so well.
If I could make a suggestion I would love to see a (for once) well-made video on the “Nidd Hall Portrait”, which some people think is an actual contemporary portrait of Anne Boleyn. I know the theory is not accepted by everyone, so totally understand if it’s not worth investigating. Thank you so much again for all your hard work.