Buckingham Palace: Official Souvenir

by Pamela Hartshorne

•A richly illustrated guide to Buckingham Palace, and its role as a symbol, a royal residence, a working palace and an exceptional art collection

Buckingham Palace is instantly recognisable as a symbol of the monarchy, of London and of Britain itself. But what goes on behind the famous façade? Buckingham Palace is much more than a stone backdrop to pomp and pageantry. Since Queen Victoria's time it has been the official London residence for the ruling monarch and it houses a superb collection of works of art, part of the Royal Collection, but this is no rarefied museum.

The headquarters of the British monarchy, Buckingham Palace is that rare thing - a working palace. Its state rooms form a magnificent setting for the official and ceremonial duties carried out by Her Majesty The Queen as Head of State of the United Kingdom and Head of the Commonwealth.

This souvenir guide takes you inside the Palace and highlights the multiple roles Buckingham Palace plays - as a symbol, a royal residence, a working palace and an exceptional art collection - while offering a glimpse into one of the most famous buildings in the world.

Introduction; A Symbol of Monarchy; The Changing of the Guard; A Royal Residence; A Working Palace; Welcoming The Grand Entrance and Staircase; The Green Drawing Room; Royal The Throne Room; State The Ballroom; Investitures; The State Dining Room; The White Drawing Room; The Bow Room; Welcoming the Garden Parties; Behind the Scenes; A Royal Ten Highlights.

Genres: Politics, Travel

64 pages, Paperback

Published July 13, 2018

About the author

After a haphazard early career spent working and travelling around the world, I started writing romance in order to fund a PhD in Medieval Studies. Naturally, that didn't turn out to be quite the easy option I thought it would be, but I did in the end complete a thesis on the street and the perception of public space in later medieval and early modern York in 2004. My research formed the basis of TIME'S ECHO, and many of the individuals I encountered in the records of Elizabethan York appear in the novel.

I'm fascinated by the relationship between the past and the present and have always enjoyed 'time slip' novels and how they explore the possibility that it might be possible to go back in time and see what it was "really like". As a trained historian, I know that could never be possible, but as a storyteller, I find the premise irresistible ...

I still live in York and continue to write romances as Jessica Hart in tandem with time slip novels for Pan Macmillan - and yes I *do* often get confused by my split identities!

If you'd like to sign up for an occasional newsletter for news, offers, books for review and so on, please do email me at pamela@pamelahartshorne.com

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to read before a visit to Buckingham Palace. You get a very nice overview of the Palace’s history, its occupants, purposes of public rooms, art collection and more. What was lacking for me was a “For Further Study” section where the author could have provided the reader with suggestions of other books on the subject of the Royal Palaces and Family. I also felt that a book about a grand palace should not end with a sentence about a dirty clock. There was no conclusion, and if there had been it should have been a sentence shining light upon one of the world’s most recognizable structures.

Three cheers for the three guides who accompanied us on our tour of BP. Their knowledge was beyond plentiful and combined with this book, gave us a most enjoyable experience.

[Barb Innes · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a visit to London, I bought to read about the Palace. We weren’t able to visit but the book gave me an overview of what we missed. It was the official souvenir and published in 2018 re printed in 2022. Beautiful pictures and 64 readable pages.

[Timo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought while visiting the Palace, maybe should have read before, but still very interesting and so many great photos.