Queen Elizabeth’s House: Walking to the Sapphires’ Era

Queen Elizabeth II died at 96 years of age, leaving behind all her contribution and her bequest legacy to British sovereignty. Despite all her highness’s efforts to relieve her family from all the drama at the palace, now all the scandals end with her.  

But she pulled through every hardship that fell upon her and her family, from the public divorce of Princess Diana and Prince Charles to the one where Prince Andrew, her highness’s youngest son, was afflicted by a scandal. The toughest for them all was the moment prince Harry, her grandson, and his wife Megan Markle decided to call it quits from carrying the royal legacy forward. Amidst all these hardships, she found solace in a place she called home for a significant part of her life. 

Queen Elizabeth II decided to leave the main residence of royals, Buckingham Palace, in March 2022 and permanently move into one of her most loved places, Windsor Castle, which she mostly used as a weekend retreat.

As per the news, Queen Elizabeth preferred staying in Windsor Castle as compared to Buckingham Palace. It is also where she spent some of her last few weeks with her husband, Late Prince Philip, who passed away last year on April 9, 2021.

Even though she prefers staying at Windsor Castle and loves the place more than Buckingham palace, it is certainly not her most special place to stay in. Out of all the lavish homes and castles the Queen owns, her favourite property of all time was the Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The queen spent her last few days at her favourite castle, the Balmoral Castle, which will now be remembered for a lifetime. 

Let us take you inside the lavish palaces and castles Queen Elizabeth II left behind. 

Buckingham Palace 

Buckingham Palace was built in 1703 as a large townhouse made for Buckingham’s Duke. In 1761, this house was bought by King George III as a private home for Queen Charlotte. The British monarchy’s official London residence, Buckingham Palace, was founded in 1837. In the 19th century, architect John Nash and architect Edward Blore helped expand the already huge palace by making three additional wings surrounding the central courtyard. 

The Queen and Prince Philip spend around two months of the year here during the winter, and it is typically used for Christmas parties. It was a ritual for the Queen to broadcast her popular annual Christmas from the castle. But she said a final goodbye to the Castle in her last holiday speech on December 25, 2021, as it was her first Christmas without the price and last at the castle. 

With 775 rooms, 188 bedrooms for staff,  92 offices, 78 bathrooms,52 royal and guest beds and 19 staterooms, this palace is nothing less than a Royal home. However, that’s not all; the palace also has a cinema, a post office, a jeweller’s workshop, a surgery room, and a swimming pool. The larThe Golden Drawing Room Certainly Draws Attention

The Golden Drawing Room Certainly Draws Attention

The White Drawing Room is best known as Queen Elizabeth’s Christmas address venue. Still, it is also home to the iconic secret door that helps connect this richly decorated Room to The Royal Closet the next door. The White Room serves as a reception area for the Queen and the rest of the royal family before formal occasions or for important guests to be introduced to the Queen before proceeding to a bigger State Room to socialise.

It’s possibly the most opulent of the State Rooms out of the 19 state rooms, with marvellous English and French furniture in glamorous yellow brocade seats, white painted interiors, and the cut-glass chandeliers just add to the royalty of this state room. As much gold as one’s interior can handle. This room oozes the vibes of a too-long and lazy sunny day, takes you on a tour of the Mediterranean, and will surely lift your spirits on any gloomy day.

The Classic Green Drawing Room

The Green Drawing Room was named after the green and gold wall coverings made of silk which were installed in 1834 at the request of Queen Adelaide, who was touched by the hardships of impoverished Irish silk workers. It is another of Buckingham Palace’s 19 imposing State Rooms – and the first to be designed – and measures an astounding 16 meters across and 12 metres in size, with dramatic 10-metre-high walls and ceiling.

Originally, the walls, flooring, curtains, upholstery, and a collection of decorations were all the same green colour. Still, the vast area was later changed with a ruby red rug – the royal designers were not afraid of colour blocking. Emerald green packs a punch of colour while still being understated. This green drawing room can be your inspiration if you are looking for a  traditional drawing room and can transport you to the late 18th Century Georgian mansion. 

The Magical Music Room

The Music Room is distinguished by its majestic scagliola columns covered in royal blue. From its very completion in 1831, its architecture has more or less remained unchanged. The Music room is where guests are introduced before dinner or banquet, and it is used mostly for royal family events – the Queen’s 3 eldest kids were all baptised here in Jordanian water.

The gleaming blue columns, designed to resemble the semi-precious lapis lazuli, are said to cost a whopping £900 back in 1828. The seating is French-made and coated in bright red silk brocades, and the authentic walls have been covered in bright yellow silk, perfectly complementing the decor. The hardwood flooring made of rosewood, satinwood, mahogany, tulipwood, and holly is another stunning feature of the Music Room. The rich background of bohemian blues, graceful greens, and pale pinks beautifully offset these natural elements and add real elegance to the room.

The Royal Throne Room

The Chairs of Estate dominate the ravishing all-red Throne Room, a pair of chairs used by Her Majesty The Queen in 1953 during her Coronation, and its pairing partner crafted for The Duke of Edinburgh. Their linebackers are embellished with the cyphers ‘EIIR’, which is for Queen Elizabeth II and ‘P’ for Prince Philip, and are engraved with gilded beechwood and encased in crimson silk brocades. A full-length painting of The Queen is also displayed in the Throne Room, with her pups Vulcan, Willow, Candy, and Holly all standing by her feet.

Interesting fact: In an incident that happened on July 9, 1982, a British citizen named Michael Fagan scaled the walls of the huge palace twice; this event is also documented in an episode of “The Crown.” On his second attempt, he somehow managed to reach Queen Elizabeth’s personal bedroom, and she woke up when she heard someone walking from behind the curtain. The security of the already secured palace increased following this incident.

Inside the walls of Balmoral Castle 

Queen Elizabeth Inside Balmoral Castle: 

The Famous Greeting Room at Balmoral: 

The Balmoral Castle is described as “surreal” and “freaky” by visitors. It is a vast countryside retreat where the queen used to enjoy cleaning her own dishes. The royals and their successors spent their summers at the Hogwarts-style Scottish summer residence for nearly two centuries.

This massive 11-bedroom estate is located by the River Dee in the northern Aberdeenshire region of the country. It was also reportedly one of Queen Elizabeth’s favourite places in her homeland, if not the world.

Every year, the queen looked forward to spending the sunny months at the Balmoral castle with her grand princesses, princes, and other notable guests.

But, unlike Buckingham Palace, the atmosphere at Balmoral is more akin to a cosy home in upstate New York’s quiet woods.

Former librarian of the royal family, Jane Roberts, told in an interview in 2011 that when the queen and other members of the royal family are at Balmoral, they act like ‘normal people’ as though they are a common family enjoying their vacation. 

Hence, the Balmoral estate is commonly described as “homely rather than grand,” The monarch was popular for having a cushion stitched with “It’s good to be Queen”.

Her Majesty was also said to work upon some significant events while sitting in the lounge room with a big clutter of piled papers, some books, decorations from china, and of course, many family photographs, positioned in front of a fireplace with an electric heater, which seemed like any other normal family room. 

According to Princess Eugenie, Queen Elizabeth’s granddaughter said during an interview that Balmoral’s outdoor nature brought the best out of the late queen. 

When Prince Albert and Queen Victoria saw Balmoral’s house, they fell in love with it and assigned architects to improve both the foundation and the castle.

The Balmoral castle was significantly upgraded and soon became a full-fledged granite component fit for the royal family. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert both of them played important roles in the development of Highland culture. They used tartan to decorate the castle and were hugely influential in the revival of Scottish culture in the minds and hearts of the British people.

Queen’s Sandringham Estate on Airbnb

The Elegant Wooden Kitchen: 

The all-white bed room: 

Dinning area with lawn view: 

As per a royal family statement, the garden house on Queen Elizabeth II’s Sandringham Estate was listed on Airbnb just hours before she “died peacefully” at the age of 96 on Thursday.

The Queen and the other royal family members have traditionally spent Christmas and New Year’s at the country retreat on England’s Norfolk Coast. The castle is also the site of Queen Elizabeth’s Christmas broadcast speech every year.

Since 1862, the royal family has owned the estate, which was purchased as a gift for the 21st birthday of Prince Albert. It was also where the queen’s father, George VI, and grandfather, George V, were laid to rest. 

Norfolk Hideaways lists the estate’s garden house, which has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and was previously owned by the head gardener of the Queen.

According to the Airbnb listing, “this charming Norfolk hideaway, owned by HM The Queen, is nestled within the heart of her much-loved Sandringham Estate country retreat and the closest property to Sandringham House itself.”

This house made of bricks has 2 floors and can shelter up to 8 people. According to the listing, guests can stroll around Country Park, which is spread over 200 hectares of land or 494 acres.

The listing also says “furry friends welcome,” a reference to the Queen’s fondness for dogs.

But if you wish to stay here, you should respond swiftly. Dates have already been reserved through February 2024. It can cost you around  $400 per night to stay at this upscale property owned by the Queen.

However, apart from the marvellous dining area, the lawn is overlooked by a lounge room and a fully functioning kitchen. When making your reservation, you can choose between a super-king bed or a  twin-bed in any of the 2 available bedrooms. 

If the conditions allow, you can use a charcoal barbecue or dine al fresco in the yard’s concrete patio area, including a dining table. Apart from the residence, the fenced garden is a great place to enjoy a stroll.

Another property on the estate called the Anmer Hall, which has 10 bedrooms, was given as a gift by the queen at Cambridge’s Duke and Duchess wedding in 2011. 

LATEST NEWS 

The royal family officially announced the Queen’s death on Thursday. Elizabeth was the longest-reigning monarch in British history, having reigned for 70 years. She was 96 years old.

“The Queen died peacefully this afternoon at Balmoral,” the announcement said. “The King and Queen Consort will spend the evening at Balmoral before returning to London tomorrow.”

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