Visitors will be able to step inside the late Queen Elizabeth
II’s private rooms at her official Scottish residence for the first
time this year, offering an unprecedented glimpse into the
monarch’s life behind palace doors.
The rarely seen apartments at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in
Edinburgh will open to the public as part of special tours marking
the centenary of the Queen’s birth.
For decades the suite of rooms served as the personal living
quarters of Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke
of Edinburgh, during their stays in Scotland. The apartments, which
date back to the 17th century, sit on the east side of the palace
overlooking the gardens and nearby Holyrood Park.
Visitors will be able to explore spaces normally hidden from
public view, including the Queen’s Dressing Room, where she
prepared for official engagements, and the Sitting Room where she
would carry out duties from her famous red boxes and relax by
watching horse racing on television.
The Royal Collection Trust described the rooms as “modestly
decorated” spaces that provide a rare insight into the monarch’s
private life during moments away from public duties.
Tours will also include the Royal Breakfast Room, where the
Queen and Prince Philip would dine privately at a circular table
covered with a white linen cloth. The room is decorated with large
Flemish tapestries dating from the 1650s.
Small guided groups will be taken through the apartments by
expert guides who will explain how the rooms were used by
generations of monarchs since the reign of Queen Victoria, as well
as how Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh used the spaces
during their time in residence.
In the Sitting Room the Queen would review official documents
and hold private audiences from a small antique desk positioned in
front of a window overlooking the gardens. The room features a
large chandelier and two terracotta-coloured sofas facing each
other across the fireplace.
A flat-screen television stands to the right of the fireplace –
where the late monarch, who had a lifelong passion for horse
racing, would watch the sport during quiet moments between
engagements.
The Dressing Room will display three outfits worn by the Queen
for significant occasions in Edinburgh. Among them is a purple
silk-wool coat paired with a green silk-crepe and lace dress, worn
for the opening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 and inspired by
Scotland’s landscape.
Also on show will be a beaded and sequinned silk gown worn at a
Commonwealth Heads of Government reception at the palace in 1997,
along with a white tweed coat and pink dress worn by the Queen to a
garden party at Holyroodhouse in 2017.
Many of the rooms are furnished with historic pieces from the
Royal Collection as well as items from the personal collections of
the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. Philip, a keen collector of
contemporary Scottish art, acquired works that reflected his
admiration for Scotland’s landscapes and wildlife, some of which
will form part of the display.
Emma Stead, curator of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, said the
special access would offer visitors a deeper understanding of the
late Queen’s close connection with Scotland.
“Queen Elizabeth II’s well-known love for Scotland will be given
fresh context through this unique and special access to the private
apartments,” she said.
The tours will run for 100 days between May 21 and September 10
and must be booked separately from general admission to the
palace.
Priority booking will first be offered to Royal Collection Trust
subscribers, with general ticket sales opening later in March.
The opening forms part of commemorations marking the 100th
anniversary of Elizabeth II’s birth on April 21. The Queen,
Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, died at Balmoral in September
2022 after a reign spanning 70 years.
