UNIVERSITATEA DIN ORADEA

FACULTATEA DE ISTORIE,RELAII INTERNAIONALE,

TIINE POLITICE I TIIELE COMUNICRII

SPECIALIZARE TIINE POLITICE

Buckingham Palace

STUDENT MARINA FLORIN ADRIAN

ORADEA

2017
 History of Buckingham Palace
George III bought Buckingham House in 1761 for his wife Queen Charlotte to
use as a comfortable family home close to St James's Palace, where many
court functions were held. Buckingham House became known as the Queen's
House, and 14 of George III's 15 children were born there.

George IV, on his accession in 1820, decided to reconstruct the house into a
pied--terre, using it for the same purpose as his father George III.

As work progressed, and as late as the end of 1826, The King had a change of
heart. With the assistance of his architect, John Nash, he set about
transforming the house into a palace. Parliament agreed to a budget of
150,000, but the King pressed for 450,000 as a more realistic figure.Nash
retained the main block but doubled its size by adding a new suite of rooms on
the garden side facing west. Faced with mellow Bath stone, the external style
reflected the French neo-classical influence favoured by George IV.

The remodelled rooms are the State and semi-State Rooms, which remain
virtually unchanged since Nash's time.

The north and south wings of Buckingham House were demolished and rebuilt
on a larger scale with a triumphal arch - the Marble Arch - as the centrepiece
of an enlarged courtyard, to commemorate the British victories at Trafalgar
and Waterloo.

By 1829 the costs had escalated to nearly half a million pounds. Nash's
extravagance cost him his job, and on the death of George IV in 1830, his
younger brother William IV took on Edward Blore to finish the work. The
King never moved into the Palace. Indeed, when the Houses of Parliament
were destroyed by fire in 1834, the King offered the Palace as a new home for
Parliament, but the offer was declined.

Queen Victoria was the first sovereign to take up residence in July 1837 and in
June 1838 she was the first British sovereign to leave from Buckingham Palace
for a Coronation. Her marriage to Prince Albert in 1840 soon showed up the
Palace's shortcomings.

A serious problem for the newly married couple was the absence of any
nurseries and too few bedrooms for visitors. The only solution was to move the
Marble Arch - it now stands at the north-east corner of Hyde Park - and build a
fourth wing, thereby creating a quadrangle. The cost of the new wing was
largely covered by the sale of George IV's Royal Pavilion at Brighton.

Blore added an attic floor to the main block of the Palace and decorated it
externally with marble friezes originally intended for Nash's Marble Arch. The
work was completed in 1847.By the turn of the century the soft French stone
used in Blore's East Front was showing signs of deterioration, largely due to
London's notorious soot, and required replacing.

In 1913 the decision was taken to reface the faade. Sir Aston Webb, with a
number of large public buildings to his credit, was commissioned to create a
new design. Webb chose Portland Stone, which took 12 months to prepare
before building work could begin. When work did start it took 13 weeks to
complete the refacing, a process that included removing the old stonework.

The present forecourt of the Palace, where Changing the Guard takes place,
was formed in 1911, as part of the Victoria Memorial scheme.

The gates and railings were also completed in 1911; the North-Centre Gate is
now the everyday entrance to the Palace, whilst the Central Gate is used for
State occasions and the departure of the guard after Changing the Guard. The
work was completed just before the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.

Buckingham Palace today

Today, Buckingham Palace is very much a working building and the
centrepiece of the UKs constitutional monarchy, serving as the venue for
many royal events and ceremonies from entertaining foreign Head of States to
celebrating achievement at Investitures and receptions.

More than 50,000 people visit the Palace each year as guests to State banquets,
lunches, dinners, receptions and Garden Parties. Her Majesty also holds
weekly audiences with the Prime Minister and receives newly-appointed
foreign Ambassadors at Buckingham Palace.

Receptions are held at the Palace throughout the year to recognise the work of
industry, government, charities, sport, the Commonwealth and many more
areas of life. For example, in 2013 The Queen hosted a reception to celebrate
the Commonwealth, Youth and Education, which was attended by 350 guests
from academic institutions around the world and included a performance
by the Commonwealth Youth Orchestra and choir and more recently, in 2015,
Her Majesty hosted a reception for players, organisers and supporters of the
Rugby World Cup.

Buckingham Palace is often a focal point for significant national celebrations

and commemorations.

In 2002, a music concert was staged in the garden of Buckingham Palace to

mark The Queens Golden Jubilee, which included a unforgettable
performance of God Save The Queen by Brian May from the roof of the
Palace and at Her Majestys Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012 members
of the public were invited to have a special picnic in the Buckingham Palace
garden.

The balcony of Buckingham Palace is one of the most famous in the world.
The first recorded Royal balcony appearance took place in 1851, when Queen
Victoria stepped onto it during celebrations for the opening of the Great
Exhibition. Since then, Royal Balcony appearances have marked
many occasions from The Queens annual official birthday celebrations to
watch the RAF Flypast at the end of Trooping the Colour, Royal Weddings, as
well as special events of national significance such as the 75th anniversary of
the Battle of Britain.

Whilst Buckingham Palace is seen as the administrative hub of the Monarchy,

it is also very much a family home, in addition to holding The Queen's Gallery
and the Royal Mews. The Queen gave birth to Prince Charles and Prince
Andrew at the Palace, and to this day notice of royal births and deaths are still
attached to the front railings for members of the public to read. The
christenings of The Prince of Wales, The Princess Royal, The Duke of York
and Prince William took place in the Music Room and many Royal Weddings
have been celebrated at Buckingham Palace, most recently The Duke and
Duchess of Cambridges.

The offices of those who support the day-to-day activities and duties of The
Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh and their immediate family, such as the
Private Secretarys Office and the Privy Purse and Treasurers Office are
located at Buckingham Palace.