Buckingham Palace’s special new exhibition – Royal Childhood

It’s always a special time when Her Majesty the Queen opens up one of her homes to the public. It’s the summer opening of the State Rooms – in short the rooms that were built specifically for the monarchs to host and entertain visitors. It was 21 years ago when The Queen gave the decision for Buckingham Palace to open its doors to the public in order to raise funds for the restoration of Windsor Castle following the dreadful fire of November 1992. Did you know there are there are 775 rooms in the Palace? Over seven hundred rooms! This includes 19 State rooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms.

Now there is a new exhibition this summer called Royal Childhood, which is all about the tiny outfits, favourite toys and family presents spanning over nine generations of royal children. I was invited to a private view, one day before it would open to the public. There are 150 objects on display relating to 25 children from from the future George IV to Prince George of Cambridge. It’s all very exciting because you get to see the very toys they used to be fond of up close and you would be standing within inches of them. As with most treasures on view throughout the building, it is quite a surreal experience. There are also previously unseen photographs and intimate film footage giving you an insight into the Royal family life. Right in the Ballroom I remember watching a footage of a young Queen Elizabeth II playing with her children, and it just showed them up to be very normal – much like your typical family on a day out having fun together. It was mesmerising and I could not take my eyes off the footage. There is a donkey-drawn barouche used by Queen Victoria’s grandchildren and a handmade rocking horse given as a present by President Obama and Mrs Obama to celebrate the birth of Prince George. A miniature caravan given to Prince Charles and Princess Anne is a tiny replica of the DB5 used by James Bond in the films Goldfinger and Thunderball.

Away from the exhibition, on display in the Music Room is the silk-satin and lace robe worn by Prince George of Cambridge at his Christening, and my goodness it really is quite a long robe. I could not quite believe it was baby Prince George’s robe.

For the first time there is also a Family Pavilion full of exciting activities and games for all ages, based on the theme of Royal Childhood, and includes a traditional rocking horse children can ride on, similar to the ones the Royal children used to ride.

On the day I went, Buckingham Palace had not yet opened to the public and that meant getting to explore inside an empty part of the building. Many wardens were new and starting their very first official day of work as wardens. They were understandably nervous but incredibly warm, very welcoming and very chatty and this greatly enhanced my experience of being there. I spoke with very many and could not help but feel extra cheery around them. Their enthusiasm was infectious. If you go, do engage them in a conversation – they love it.

Anna Reynolds of Royal Collection Trust and curator of the exhibition Royal Childhood said, “It’s easy to forget that Buckingham Palace, now one of the most famous buildings in the world, was purchased as a family home and has remained so for over 250 years. This exhibition gives visitors a very personal insight into life as a young member of the royal family over nine generations, through the toys the children have played with and loved, and through the clothes they have worn.”

The Royal Childhood exhibition is included as part of the visit to the Summer Opening of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace and runs from 26 July until 28 September 2014. There is no guarantee the Buckingham Palace will open again to the public in the future, so do make sure you get yourself down there. Tickets can be bought online via the Royal Collection Trust website.

My experience there was most enjoyable. So enjoyable that I stayed from midday until closing time, near 7pm on the day. Big thanks to the wonderful press officers who kindly invited me, and also to the entire staff at the Palace for making it so special.