Royal visit: Balmoral and Buckingham Palace open up
Three new destinations to put on your travel list
Since the late Queen passed away, it’s been expected King Charles would open Balmoral to visitors and this week it was announced he has. Balmoral Castle itself will open for the first time, to a select group of tourists. So select, in fact, that as soon as the tickets went on sale on Tuesday, they sold out – even at £100 per person.
It is understood, it’s a first step into opening the castle further, something the King is said to want to do, in memory of his mother. Charles and Camilla have their own house on the estate in Aberdeenshire – Birkhall.
The 40 lucky ticket holders a day will get to see inside the castle, on a guided tour through many of the private rooms, as well as the ballroom, with a display of watercolours by the King and several outfits worn by Charles and Camilla, the late Queen and the Queen Mother. They can even partake in an afternoon tea.
Completed in 1855, after Prince Albert bought it for Queen Victoria, this private residence in Scotland has been a much-loved retreat of the Royal Family and remained off-limits to the public, until now. The Queen adored her time at her Scottish retreat as did Queen Victoria before her - and Queen Elizabeth passed away there, in 2022.
Let’s hope the tours are a success and they open up further in the future. For anyone (i.e. all of us) who didn’t get a ticket, the grounds, gardens and exhibitions are open daily from May 4 – August 11. Visit here for details.
See a new side of Buckingham Palace
As well as Balmoral, Buckingham Palace has also opened a new section to visitors. This summer, you can be one of the first to enjoy a guided tour of the East Wing, as well as the State Rooms.
The East Wing Highlights Tour will show you rooms not normally open to the public, including treasures from the Royal Collection and – best of all - the Centre Room, which leads out to the famous Palace balcony. After the 45-minute tour, you can then join the self-guided State Rooms tour, which we at The Royal List have done and recommend. Read about it here.
East Wing tickets go on sale on Tuesday, for RCT email subscribers, and Wednesday for general purchase. It will be open from July 15 – August 31. Buy tickets here.
Camilla’s book festival at Hampton Court
The third exciting royal event is at Hampton Court Palace, where, although you may no longer catch a glimpse of Henry VIII, you’ll probably run into the Queen and her book pals, at the second Queen’s Reading Room literary festival, on Saturday June 8.
With talks and events from the likes of Ian Rankin, Ann Cleeves, Lee Child, Elif Shafak, Kate Mosse and more, Miriam Margolyes will take to the main stage in the Tudor courtyard to share her passion for Charles Dickens and Helena Bonham Carter and friends will also perform. For tickets, visit here.
Want to read more about Britain’s best literary festivals? Check out our sister site, The British Travel List
Scoop’s out - our verdict’s in
Rufus Sewell (and his impressive prosthetic chins and jowls) is the standout star of Scoop, the recreation of Prince Andrew’s infamous Newsnight interview. With the 90-minute film dropping on Netflix, the verdict from The Royal List is a resounding thumbs up.
In forensic detail we witness the inside story on how Emily Maitlis (an excellent Gillian Anderson) despatched an arrogant and, crucially, unapologetic Andrew into the wilderness with her questioning about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender and the Duke’s alleged sexual abuse of Virginia Giuffre.
We also learn some new takeaways:
* That Andrew’s deluded private secretary Amanda Thirsk (Keeley Hawes) sincerely believed an interview was a great idea.
* That Maitlis has a whippet called Moody and acts like every day is a ‘bring your pet to work’ day.
* That TV producer Sam McAlister (Billie Piper) has more bling than any self-respecting royal.
No need for a spoiler alert, we all know how this story ends but there’s a memorable moment at the denouement. Andrew is taking a bath as his phone blows up with grim notifications. Huffing and puffing as he clambers from his soothing soak, he checks his messages, then as his new grisly reality dawns on him, he stands naked before the TV watching his car crash interview. The petulant prince in all his naked humiliation. Watch it here.
Charles’ bittersweet anniversary
Camilla and Charles will be celebrating their 19th wedding anniversary this Tuesday. But since 2021, April 9 is also a day tinged with great sadness, because that was the date Prince Philip died, aged 99. “My dear papa was a very special person who I think above all else would have been amazed by the reaction and the touching things that have been said about him,” said an emotional Charles hours after losing his dad.
I think it's great that Balmoral is opening up to visitors, as well as more areas of Buckingham Palace. Do you know which palace I'd like to go inside? Saint James. After all, it's the most historic of the London palaces still in use. They could open at least the State Rooms to tours. Here's hoping!