After seeing the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, which took place a few months ago, and the recent photos of Meghan and Kate (both stunningly beautiful ) all smiles at Wimbledon, what if I said I'd be lying if I didn't obsess over my own royal family and daydream about it every once in a while. Queen Elizabeth is spending time at her gorgeous estate in the Scottish Highlands this summer while Buckingham Palace prepares for a massive renovation — and you can get a glimpse of the process in a new behind-the-scenes video from Buckingham Palace on Instagram.
Official tours of the Queen's famed London residence have been limited to the State Rooms, art galleries and magnificent gardens, but a video posted on the royal family's Instagram account gave people an exclusive peek at some areas of the palace not visible to the public. Not usually seen.
The video shows a head-up view of palace staff moving from the huge kitchen to the Chinese living room for the event. The shot starts from the doorway in a long behind-the-scenes view of the kitchen area. From there, staff take elevators and walk through vast, red-carpeted hallways until they reach their destination. With the palace soon to undergo an estimated $484 million renovation, the clip aims to show how "point cloud" technology - a type of software that can create 3D models - can be used to help coordinate important design changes. "Many of the current elevators are old and in impractical locations. The new elevators will make the palace more efficient and accessible," the caption read.
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Plans for major design improvements to Buckingham Palace were announced in 2016, with much of the work focused on electrical, plumbing and other key features in the building that have remained unchanged for 60 years. “Buckingham Palace is one of the most iconic buildings in the world, and this project aims to extend its useful life for another fifty years,” Tony Johnstone-Burt, the Queen’s Housekeeper, said of the renovation Engineering said. "When the work is completed, we will have a palace suitable for 2067," he added. The short video posted on the royal family's Instagram account isn't the only upgraded view we've seen of the famous building - redevelopment plans aim to expand public access and opportunities for visitors.
A YouTube video posted to the royal family's channel shows the new technology in action during design changes. "As architects we are very aware that [the refurbishment] is a significant investment of public money. We consciously use techniques such as point cloud surveys to ensure we get a good return on investment," said Tony Barnard, head of construction said, adding that the renovations would make the palace "more accessible and better functional". The designers are also working to make the palace a more environmentally friendly and efficient space - they hope to reduce its carbon footprint by 40% over time.
Booking for this phase of Buckingham Palace is expected to be completed in 2027. In the meantime, visitors can take a classic tour of the iconic building and enjoy afternoon tea in the gardens – a little royal tour never hurt anyone.
