Buckingham Palace | Residence of Queen Elizabeth

Buckingham Palace | Residence of Queen Elizabeth 

Buckingham Palace is the London home and the administrative center of the British royal family. The enormous building and extensive gardens are an important site of ceremonial and political affairs in the United Kingdom, as well as a major tourist attraction. But for a monarchy that dates back almost a thousand years, Buckingham Palace is a relatively new home.

The palace first originated as Buckingham House, which was built by John Sheffield, 3rd Earl of Mulgrave and Marquess of Normandy, as his London residence in 1703. In the same year, Sheffield was made the Duke of Buckingham and he consequently named the house after his title.

In 1761, Buckingham House was acquired by George III, to be used as a family home for both himself and his new wife Charlotte. The ceremonial centre of the court remained at St James’s Palace, so the house was a convenient place to live. It was known as the Queen’s House, and 14 of George and Charlotte’s 15 children were born there. It was in the library of the Queen’s House that Dr Samuel Johnson had his celebrated meeting with George III. In 1762, George IV and his architect John Nash began converting the palace into a full-scale residential and ceremonial palace, using the proceeds of the land acquired from the demolition of Carlton House. A suite of rooms was added to the main block of the garden side of the house, and the side wings were demolished and replaced with grander structures to form a u-shape. The fourth side of the courtyard was enclosed by railings, with the newly-created Marble Arch monument in the centre.