A veritable treasure trove of everyday objects, ranging from old boots to documents planning royal events, has been uncovered during the ambitious project of renovation of Buckingham Palace. It is believed they belonged to former staff and date back even to the reign of Queen Victoria, in the mid-19th century. These items came to light as old floors were lifted and walls were knocked down during the remodeling, which has cost 430 million euros.
Almost a decade ago, in 2017, experts began rehabilitating the iconic London palace, after deeming that its infrastructure “urgently needed a complete overhaul,” according to the official website of the British royal family. The palace’s electrical, plumbing, and heating systems, which has 775 rooms, were at risk of causing “long-term damage to the building and to its contents.”
These objects offer a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the Palace workers over the past two hundred years, showing how they interacted with one another and how they prepared for royal events. A fragment of an entry embedded in a brick reveals that on April 14, 1949, a game of whist – a popular English card game – was held at the Palace, when the father of the late Queen Elizabeth II, King George V, was the reigning monarch.
Also found were betting slips, a spring water bottle, an empty cigarette pack, and West End theatre programs from 1989. One of the most revealing pieces was the program for a diplomatic reception that Queen Elizabeth organized in 1977, the year of her Silver Jubilee. The document’s details reveal that she planned to walk around the room “clockwise” as she greeted the guests and how she wanted her aides to mingle with them.
Buckingham’s Everyday Treasures
Also found were electrical cables coated with vulcanized Indian rubber, posing a fire risk to the building. These cables, which become brittle over time, were prioritized for removal when the project began in 2017, with completion scheduled for next March. To date, approximately 2 kilometers of these rubber cables have been replaced.
Isabel II, en su despacho del Palacio de Buckingham.
A few pages from the Daily Express of 1966 described in detail the high-security prison that housed the perpetrators of the Great Train Robbery, the famous Glasgow to London mail train robbery on 8 August 1963. They showed images of the interior of Durham Prison and reported that “men convicted of stealing a fortune in mail bags spend the week sewing them in exchange for nine shillings.”
Among other findings were a fragment of decorative ceramic tiles from Minton taken from the hearth of a fireplace, with a design dating to the mid-19th century; an aged pewter jug; a wooden junction box; and a faded box containing six Christmas greeting cards.
Charles III, Far from the Palace
Buckingham Palace has been the official residence of the United Kingdom’s monarchs since 1837, when Queen Victoria settled there at the start of her reign. Since then it has housed four other monarchs. In addition to serving as the London residence of the occupant of the British throne, it is the administrative headquarters and hosts numerous official events and receptions. Some parts of the building date back to the 17th century and include an older dwelling known as Buckingham House.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip resided at Buckingham until the coronavirus pandemic, when they moved to Windsor Castle, where the queen’s husband died in 2021. Queen Elizabeth II died a year later at Balmoral Castle. Since King Charles ascended to the throne, he has continued to live in his lifelong London residence, Clarence House, and only travels to Buckingham Palace to fulfill his official duties.
