Buckingham Palace, London

Your view is Buckingham Palace, the official London residence and working headquarters of the United Kingdom’s monarch. Its grand façade belongs to Neoclassical and Georgian architecture, while the palace itself remains a working setting for state occasions and royal hospitality. The building began as a townhouse called Buckingham House, built in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham and Normanby.

George III acquired it in 1761 for Queen Charlotte, and it became known as The Queen’s House. During the early nineteenth century, John Nash and Edward Blore enlarged the house by building wings around a courtyard. Queen Victoria made Buckingham Palace the monarch’s principal London residence in 1837.

On the East Front, the balcony provides the familiar place where the royal family traditionally greets crowds. The palace contains 775 rooms, and its garden is London’s largest private garden. Look across the façade for the formal rhythm of its windows and the balcony that turns this working palace into a powerful public stage.