Crowning the west end of london of the mall is Buckingham Palace, the queens main london residence. Built in 1702 for the Duke of Buckingham, the palace was bought by George 3rd, then enlarged for George 4th, from 1825 by the architect John Nash. The main facade is a later addition, by aston webb in 1913. The queen and duke of edinburgh occupy about 12 of the palaces 650 rooms, on the first floor of the north wing. If the Queen is in residence, the royal standard flies from the central flagpole.
The building was opened to the public in 1993 to help pay for the repairs to the fire-ravaged Windsor castle, and now patly open in summer/early autumn when the queen is away. Rooms open to the public include the dining room. music room, white drawing room and throne room.
The queen has one of the worlds best private art collections, comprisising about 9,000 works, including exceptional drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, and royal portaraits by Holbein and Van Dyck.
Most people in the crowd outside Buckingham Palace come to see the changing of the guard at 11.30. The new guard which marches up from the wellington barracks, meets the old guard in the forecourt of the palace, and they exchange symbolic keys to the accompaniment of regimental music. The Irish gaurds are distinctive for their bearskin hats.
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