Buckingham Palace is well-known as the official London residence of Her Majesty, The Queen. Apart from being a beloved tourist attraction, the Palace and its grounds serve as an official residence, an administrative centre, and an important location for hosting ceremonies and handling political affairs in the UK. Take a look below for 30 incredible and awesome facts about the Buckingham Palace.

1. Hence the name! It became an official residence for sitting monarchs 76 years after King George III bought it, on the accession of Queen Victoria.

2. There are 775 different rooms in the Palace, 19 Staterooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, almost 100 offices, and an amazing number of 78 different bathrooms, too.

3. At last count, there are over 1,500 of them in the Palace.

4. The palace covers over 77,000 square meters of floor space.

5. 36.6 m long, 18m wide, and 13.5 m high, the ballroom earns the award for the largest room at this fascinating palace.

6. The celebration of the end of the Crimean War was the first event ever held in the Palace’s magnificent ballroom.

7. These ceremonies take place in the Royal Ballroom, including the famous ceremony wherein distinguished British citizens become knighted.

8. Therefore, American heads of state have only been visiting the Queen for around 100 years.

9. The Palace uses a ‘flag signal’ to show when the Queen is in residence, if they are at home, the ‘Royal Standard’ flies atop the Palace and when she’s not around, the Union Jack flies, instead.

10. John Nash, responsible for the Palace’s current look chose to exceed budgets, and the officials fired him outright.

11. The Palace is built on top of a series of intricate, secret tunnels. In fact, at one stage, a man was found to be living there by George VI.

12. It is not just the Queen and Prince Philip’s home it’s also the London domicile of Prince Edward and his wife Sophie of Wessex, as well as Prince Andrew, the Duke of York.

13. During the First World War, Buckingham Palace joined in rationing efforts by order of King George V.

14. The Palace managed to survive up to nine separate bombing raids during the Second World War.

15. The Palace boasts many modern facilities including a full cinema, a cash machine, and even a Post Office and police station.

16. In fact, the Palace boasts of many different features and facilities, like a private lake as well as a full-size tennis court.

17. This interesting tradition was started by Queen Victoria in 1851 when a reigning monarch appeared on the balcony for the first time to greet the public.

18. Some of the most famous events when the balcony was used to greet the crowds are King George V’s appearance on the eve of World War I, or more recently, Kate Middleton and Prince William’s post-wedding kiss.

19. Buckingham Palace grounds extend up to nearly 40 acres, gardens included.

20. It resides in the very heart of London, surrounded by the lavish St. James and Green Park.

21. Built as the Buckingham House in 1703, the palace was originally constructed by English Gentleman and architect William Winde as a large townhouse for Duke Buckingham.

22. The house earned its title The Queen’s House in 1761 when King George III bought the property as a private residence for Queen Charlotte.

23. The Palace underwent renovations, adding three additional wings that surround a central courtyard.

24. In 1837, Buckingham Palace became the London residence of one of Britain’s most renowned and longest-reigning monarchs, Queen Victoria.

25. In 1982, Michael Fagan broke into the Royal Residence, entering Queen Elizabeth II’s very own bedroom.

26. The Palace isn’t privately owned by The Queen, in fact, it’s held in trust by the Crown Estate.

27. Despite the Netflix series “The Crown” placing many scenes within Buckingham Palace, the real palace was never used by the cast.

28. From late July to late September, the amazing Buckingham palace’s State Rooms are open to the public.

29. When the palace is open to the public, the stateroom tour can take around 2-2.5 hours, giving tourists plenty of time to take in the palace’s beauty.

30. The ceremony occurs just outside of Buckingham Palace at 10:45 and lasts around 45 minutes. The real handover between guards occurs at 11 a.m.