Buckingham Palace offers first glimpse into a room that leads to the famous balcony

A new tour of Buckingham Palace will give the public their first glimpse into the room where members of the British royal family gather before stepping onto the palace’s famous royal balcony.

Members of the royal family, including King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate, gather on the balcony to wave to the public on occasions such as coronations, anniversaries and Trooping the Colour.

Only members of the royal family are allowed to stand on the balcony, and before the new palace tour, which begins on July 15, no member of the public had been this close to the balcony since it was built 175 years ago.

The new tour takes the public into the east wing of the palace, which includes the room that opens onto the balcony – the Central Room – as well as other rooms, including the Yellow Drawing Room and the main corridor that runs the width of the palace.

The East Wing has just undergone a five-year renovation that has opened it to the public, fulfilling Charles’ wish to open the palace to the public.

“With the completion of this (renovation) project, everything has come back. It all looks very magnificent,” Caroline de Guitaut, valuer of the King’s artworks at the Royal Collection Trust, told ABC News’ Maggie Rulli, adding: “His Majesty the King is very keen on public access. He is passionate about the collection and this is a fantastic opportunity to share these spaces.”

The “East Wing Highlights Tour,” as the tour is called, includes paintings acquired by King George IV, as well as antique English and French furniture and artworks from Japan and China, according to de Guitaut.

“The history of this palace wing is very interesting because it was the last wing to be added to the palace. It was built by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and created the famous facade with the balcony, which was a way for the Queen to interact with the people and show herself to the people,” said de Guitaut. “And of course this tradition has continued over the centuries and still exists today.”

The East Wing Highlights Tour, which is limited to 20 people at a time, runs daily in July and August. The tours sold out quickly after tickets became available online earlier this year.

Not only has Charles opened the East Wing to the public, but he has also recently opened new rooms in Balmoral Castle to the public for the first time.

Balmoral Castle was particularly popular with the late Queen Elizabeth II, who spent the last months of her life there in 2022.

On July 1st, guided tours of the castle’s interior began for the first time.

Like the tour of the East Wing of the Palace, tours of Balmoral Castle are only available to the public in July and August.