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12 surprising facts you never knew about Buckingham Palace - as Queen Elizabeth II leaves for final time

The historic royal residence has some amazing features


buckingham palace exterior
Rachel Avery
Homes Editor
September 14, 2022
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Crowds have continued to gather outside Buckingham Palace every day since Queen Elizabeth II's passing, in order to pay their respects and hopefully catch a glimpse of the new King Charles III, who has already carried out several engagements at the royal residence.

MORE: The Queen's coffin arrives at Buckingham Palace in touching moment

The historic palace may not have been the Queen's favourite home, but it was certainly the most iconic. From the staggering number of rooms through to how many windows the building has and how far the garden really stretches, discover the royal residence in numbers as Queen Elizabeth II leaves for the final time on Wednesday...

WATCH: Queen Elizabeth II returns to Buckingham Palace for final time

1 Post Office

The Queen didn't have to go far to send a letter as there is a Court Post Office within the grounds, which is run by Royal Mail. A photo at the IWM shares a glimpse at what it looked like in 1941, however, we imagine it has changed greatly since then.

MORE: What will happen to Balmoral following the death of the Queen?

24 meters high

The Shard and The Gherkin may tower high above the Queen’s home in the capital, but at 24 meters tall it's still taller than six double-decker buses stacked on top of each other.

queen exterior buckingham palace

The building may not be extremely tall but it is grand

19 state rooms

These are official rooms, which are suitably grand, are used when dignitaries come to visit, and they can be toured by members of the public, too.

40 acres of gardens

The largest private garden in London belongs to Her late Majesty, and it's pretty spectacular – there's even a lake!

MORE: The Queen's never-before-seen secret rooms at Buckingham Palace revealed

REVEALED: Why the Queen never wanted to live at Buckingham Palace

queen garden party

The glorious gardens are a highlight

92 offices

Lots of busy work goes on at the monarch's home and that's why there are plenty of offices on-site for employees of the royal family.

188 staff bedrooms

Many roles at the palace require an overnight stay or an even longer residency, which is why there are so many staff bedrooms inside the walls of the palace.

queen buckingham palace windows

A young Prince William admiring the crowds from one of the palace's windows

350 clocks

Nobody is ever late for the Queen, and this is ensured with plenty of timepieces around the house. It takes more than an entire day to adjust them all when the clocks change twice a year.

MORE: Inside Buckingham Palace's Bow Room where Queen Elizabeth II will lie in state

760 windows

The grand residence has more than 700 windows and to keep them looking spotless. They are cleaned every six weeks.

775 rooms

The fact that the palace has 775 rooms clearly indicates the sheer size of the grand building.

queen inside palace

The palace has 40,000 lights in total 

20,000 sandwiches

Guests munch through a grand total of 20,000 sandwiches at one of the Queen's annual garden parties. They must be good!

READ: Princess Anne issues heartbreaking statement after Queen's death

buckingham palace garden

The monarch's home has undergone painstaking renovations

40,000 lights

You can only imagine the electricity bill the monarch must rack up with 40,000 lights throughout the residence.

£369,000,000 refurbishment

Thanks to the sheer scale of the palace, redecorating doesn't come cheap and considering the building required a rewire and extensive modernisations recently, the current changes are looking to be well over £300 million.

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