Buckingham Palace wing to open to the public for the first time
The famous centre room is included in the East Wing tour
Last updated 4th Apr 2024
The East Wing of Buckingham Palace is set to open this summer for the first time for visitors.
In July and August, special guided tours will show visitors around the East Wing, which includes the famous central balcony, where members of the Royal Family have gathered during special events since 1851.
The front facade faces The Mall, where crowds assemble on major occasions to see the monarchy.
More than five years of improvements have been taking place in the Wing, leading to the tours becoming available for the first time, as part of the Buckingham Palace Reservicing Programme, to preserve its structure.
The East Wing was added between 1847 and 1849, with tours available as a bookable addition to admissions to the State Rooms.
The Royal Collection Trust website says the Wing was designed by architect Edward Blore, who saw George VI's love for Asian art and design included, with Chinese-themed décor for many of the principle rooms.
The website said: "Tours will take visitors through rooms and spaces including the Principal Corridor, which runs the length of the Wing, where paintings by artists such as Thomas Gainsborough, Sir Thomas Lawrence and Franz Xaver Winterhalter are on display.
"In the Yellow Drawing Room, decorated with recently restored Chinese hand-painted wallpaper from the 18th century, visitors will see two hexagonal, nine-tiered Chinese porcelain pagodas and the Kylin Clock, which incorporates two turquoise Chinese lions.
"Tours will conclude in the Centre Room, which leads on to the balcony, where highlights include a newly restored glass chandelier, shaped to resemble a lotus flower, and two Chinese 18th-century Imperial Silk wall hangings, presented to Queen Victoria by Guangxu, Emperor of China on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee in 1897."
The East Wing Highlights Tours are running through July and August.