New Video Shows Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Royal Family's Iconic Palace Balcony Appearances
It's a little-known fact that Buckingham Palace is in the middle of a 10-year, multimillion dollar restoration
King Charles is inviting you in for a new view of Buckingham Palace!
On April 4, the royal family's social media pages posted a video about the reopening of the East Wing amid the royal residence's 10-year restoration, including the Centre Room leading out onto the royal residence's iconic balcony. Highlights included the royal family’s two major appearances on the terrace last year, from King Charles and Queen Camilla’s coronation in May 2023 and Trooping the Colour, the annual public celebration of the monarch's birthday, the following month.
The clip shared on X panned into the ornate Centre Room as a voiceover explained the reopening follows five years of refurbishment.
"While all this incredible work is being carried out, the working palace continues to operate as usual throughout for guests, staff and the royal family," they said.
"As it enters its final three years, this ambitious program carries on with more work to be done to protect the historic building from risk of fire or flood, and to ensure it is fit for purpose for generations to come," the voiceover concluded, cutting to a shot of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis animatedly waving as they stood before their parents, Prince William and Kate Middleton, on the balcony during Trooping the Colour last year.
In 2024, the Buckingham Palace reservicing programme marks its seventh year with the reopening of the East Wing.
The programme aims to protect the historic building from risk of fire or flood, to ensure the Palace is fit for purpose, and to preserve it for future generations.— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 4, 2024
Related: What Is Trooping the Colour? All About King Charles' Public Birthday Celebration
The new peek into the palace came the day after the Royal Collection Trust announced that the East Wing of Buckingham Palace will open to the public for the first time ever through tours this summer.
The East Wing includes the front façade and balcony synonymous with royal celebrations like coronations and weddings since 1851, and tours of its Principal Floor will take viewers into the Principal Corridor, Yellow Drawing Room and Centre Room. The East Wing Highlights tours kick off July 15 and will be held daily through August, accessible through standard admission to the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace ($95 for adults) for an undisclosed extra charge.
The Royal Collection Trust, which is an official Royal Household department tasked with looking after several royal residences, added that Buckingham Palace will also be open to the public seven days a week in July and August for the first time since 2019. The reservicing began in 2017 and is due to be complete in 2027, explained by Royal.UK as "a complete overhaul to prevent long-term damage to the building and its contents."
Related: Every Royal Family Member Who Appeared on the Balcony at King Charles' Coronation
The royal palace welcomes nearly 100,000 guests and 15 million tourists each year, but King Charles and Queen Camilla don't actually live there. Though the King, 75, and Queen, 76, host many meetings and audiences at the monarchy’s hub, the couple has called Clarence House their London home for years and apparently like it so much that they broke a 900-year tradition by sleeping there the night before their coronation.
The new access at Buckingham Palace comes on the heels of the update that Balmoral Castle in Scotland is opening to the public for the first ever. While the royals previously permitted tours at their cherished summer sanctuary in Aberdeenshire, access was limited to the grounds, gardens and castle ballroom. During a limited run from July to August, tourists are invited inside for the first time — and royal watchers couldn’t resist! According to Sky News, both the general castle tours and tours with tea sold out 24 hours after the access went live.
Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
Royal biographer Robert Hardman speculated in his latest book The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy that King Charles would grant greater access to Balmoral as he modernizes the monarchy.
"Balmoral is private property. However, it needs public footfall not just to help pay the bills but to bring benefits to the wider community and to remain in step with other stately homes," he wrote in the text, published in January.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.