King Charles III opens private rooms to the public

We have often curiously watched the Royal Family waving from afar on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. But now, for the first time, unprecedented, almost intimate glimpses behind the scenes are possible in the capital’s residence and also in Balmoral in Scotland.

This summer, during the usual summer opening of the royal state apartments in Buckingham Palace, the royal family also opened the east wing to the Mall. Among other things, the Centre Room with access to the most famous balcony in the world can be seen there. The 18th century Chinese silk wallpaper, the mighty chandelier and the gold-framed mirror above the fireplace have been seen by pretty much all British royals since Queen Victoria when they appear before their people. But otherwise, no one has ever seen the room and the balcony from the inside. That is now different.

King Charles III is close to the people

King Charles had probably been toying with the idea for some time that it was now time to give his subjects a more extensive look behind the royal scenes. The moment he succeeded his late mother Elizabeth II to the throne, he immediately seemed to strive for a much more transparent approach to the monarchy: Not only did he become the very first British monarch to have his proclamation as king broadcast live on television in September 2023 and publicly announce his cancer diagnosis.

During public appearances, he even spoke to onlookers about how he was coping with his chemotherapy – in stark contrast to his daughter-in-law Kate, who also has cancer. She and her husband Prince William have so far been in complete agreement to only reveal as much private information as necessary.

Balmoral tours offer intimate insights

But the king made another decision this year that is causing a stir: In addition to the new wing in Buckingham Palace, he is also opening some of the royal family’s private rooms in Balmoral Castle, the private summer residence in Scotland, for the first time. Where visitors were previously only able to see the extensive park on the River Dee with its forests, lakes and memorials to deceased family members and pets, as well as the ballroom attached to the castle as a side wing, there are now unexpectedly intimate insights into the lives of the royals in holiday mode.

During the small group tours, which cost from 100 British pounds, you will learn that the new owner has personally supervised what can be seen in the rooms, which are still open until the beginning of August. From the royal portraits and landscape views on the wall to the carpets that were specially replaced on his instructions – everything was curated by him.

Of royal fishing rods and old crime novels

And there are a lot of touching details to see. From the royal fishing rods and the king’s rubber boots in a corner of the entrance hall to the rusty folding garden chairs hastily stowed under a staircase to the surprisingly small dining room with a polished mahogany table and leather-covered chairs. There, three velvet seat cushions are discreetly placed under the sideboard, in case the royal grandchildren join in the dinner. Everything looks like the holiday home of a wealthy extended family and exudes a dignified holiday atmosphere. The same is true next door in the elegant, cozy salon, where well-used gardening books are just as easy to reach on the bookshelf as well-read crime novels. Charles and Camila are both avowed bookworms.

This living room was the historic setting where the very last official photograph of the late Queen was taken when she welcomed the new Prime Minister Liz Truss into office in September 2022. The room, along with the late Queen’s study on the first floor of the castle, is the only one of which interior photographs have been publicly available to date.

Prince William was against the opening

And if it had been up to the Prince of Wales, it would have stayed that way. As was revealed by William’s private circles, he was not really keen on Charles’ new vision of a more transparent monarchy. In this respect, he takes after his grandmother, the ever-super-discreet Elizabeth II. He particularly did not like the idea of ​​letting tourists wander through the protected space of Balmoral, where his children George, Charlotte and Louis had previously romped around uninhibitedly on holiday. But the king had the final say.

A friend of Charles told the British press that he was not as sentimental as his eldest son. With the exception of Highgrove and Birkhall, the small country house near Balmoral where he and Camilla usually stay in Scotland, Charles always saw his residences as temporary accommodation and not as homes where he could feel at home. And Charles is by nature someone who opens doors for people.

Vision of open palaces

The king’s long-term vision is that the royal palaces and castles, which he now sees as public places rather than private royal spaces, should be made accessible to more and more paying visitors “within reasonable limits”, which should gradually bring young target groups closer to the monarchy and, of course, also help to recoup the high maintenance costs for buildings and staff.

Walter Bagshot, the British constitutional theorist from the time of Queen Victoria, once said that the monarchy should never allow too much light to fall on magic, so that it does not lose its fascination. All subsequent monarchs have also adhered to this. But now Charles III wants to go a different route. He probably fears that the old tactics may no longer be sufficient to maintain a stable connection between king and people, on which the continued existence of the tax-financed royal family depends.

He hopes that by providing targeted insights behind the scenes, the royal family will appear more modern and relevant as a monarch with a kind of royal “glasnost strategy”. Especially since in times of ubiquitous smartphones and social media posts, it is hardly possible to keep any details about the Windsors’ lives secret for long.

Where lies the future of monarchy?

Only time will tell whether the king or heir to the throne will ultimately be right with their respective strategies, whether an increase in transparency or the traditional isolation of private life from the public is the right path for the future of the British monarchy.

But perhaps the solution lies, as is so often the case, somewhere in the middle – and William’s wife Kate could serve as a role model for father and son alike: While she initially kept her own illness strictly secret for a long time within the closest family circle, she finally decided, in view of the completely out-of-control false stories circulating about her, on her own initiative to talk very openly about her illness in a video and to ask the public for patience.

Contrary to expectations, she has since appeared in public twice at important national events: in June at the King’s birthday parade and most recently last weekend at the men’s final in Wimbledon – and was enthusiastically cheered. “Glasnost light” could perhaps make the monarchy more modern.