London: From Friday onwards, visitors will be able to walk alone through the gardens of Queen Elizabeth’s London home for the first time – and enjoy a picnic while touring. Previously, there were guided tours of Buckingham Palace’s 39-acre grounds, the landscape being dated back to 1820.
However, this year a 16.50 pound ($22.70) ticket will be available until September, which will allow tourists to explore the gardens by themselves.
‘Due to current (coronavirus) concerns, we have not been able to open the staterooms this year and, therefore, it’s wonderful to be able to open the gardens,’ Sally Goodsir, of the Royal Collection Trust that manages the palaces, said.
There are 156 metres of the herbaceous border, beehives, and plane trees in the gardens planted by and named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Visitors can picnic on its manicured lawns with royal-themed picnic accessories such as a blanket and cotton napkins.
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The queen usually hosts three garden parties at the palace, which have been cancelled for two consecutive years due to the pandemic. Similarly, the opening of the staterooms to the public during the summer (taken place since 1993) months have also been discontinued.
Last month, officials said that the pandemic had cost the royals millions of dollars, normally covered through the sales of ticket.
The palace is midway through a 10-year 369 million pound refurbishment to replace electrical wiring, boilers, and other ageing infrastructure. During the pandemic, work has been accelerated and the queen has spent most of her time at Windsor Castle home outside London.
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