Given that the nation is sweltering in a heatwave, many of us will be looking for a dip in a pool in a bid to cool down, and for staff at Buckingham Palace, there is a hidden one available for their use.
The pool was constructed in 1939, with the project being commissioned by the late Queen's father, King George VI, to allow his daughters a space to learn to swim in private. In The Queen's House: A Secret History of Buckingham Palace, Edna Healey wrote: "But now that Princess Elizabeth was heir to the throne, they attracted too much attention.
"So, in summer 1938 it was decided to build a swimming bath and squash court on the north side of the Palace in one of Nash's conservatories."
The Palace pool has seen several royals learn to swim there, including King Charles, Prince William and his three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
However, the late Queen decided to break protocol by allowing staff at Buckingham Palace to also use the pool, although they are still subject to some rules.
In Not in Front of the Corgis: Secrets of Life Behind the Royal Curtains, Brian Hoey revealed: "The rule is that if a staff member is swimming and one of the Royals appears, they have to get out, unless invited to remain, which often happens.
© Getty Images"If when the staff member turns up a Royal is already in the pool, the servant, and this includes senior members such as the Private Secretary or Keeper of the Privy Purse, will not attempt to join them."
The late Queen was also happy for other family members to use the facilities, insisting that Sophie Winkleman use the pool as she recovered from a car accident. Sophie told Tatler: "She told us that when horses had broken backs, they swam, and so she let me use her pool at Buckingham Palace. That’s the reason I got better. It was so typically thoughtful."
When else did Queen Elizabeth break royal protocol?
Although the late monarch was a stickler for the rules, she could often end up breaking them, even during official state business.
© Getty ImagesMichelle Obama, who visited the UK in 2016, revealed how Queen Elizabeth put her at ease with the number of royal rules. The former FLOTUS recalled: "So I had all this protocol buzzing in my head, and I was like, 'Don't trip down the stairs and don't touch anybody, whatever you do', so the Queen says, 'Just get in, sit wherever' and she's telling you one thing and you're remembering protocol and she says, 'Oh it's all rubbish, just get in'."
The late Queen was also known to apply her makeup in public on the odd occasion. In 2014, the royal was seen refreshing her beauty look while attending the Opening Ceremony for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Meanwhile, in 1985, she was seen topping up her poppy pink lip while watching the Windsor Horse Show from the Royal Box.
