This summer, children visiting the Buckingham Palace can learn, explore and create through a range of fun family activities. Children inspired by the Coronation earlier this year can continue to learn amazing facts and take an up-close look at the outfits worn on the day.
Families can explore the Palace’s State Rooms with a multimedia tour designed especially for children, which is narrated by Alice the footman and Rex the corgi. There are interviews with Royal Collection Trust curators and Royal Household staff, as well as games and puzzles to solve.
In the Palace’s Grand Entrance Portico, children can learn more about the modern features of the Diamond Jubilee State Coach which took Their Majesties to Westminster Abbey on the Coronation Day. In the Ballroom, families can admire up close the magnificent outfits, jewellery and insignia worn by Their Majesties as they departed from Westminster Abbey and then appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony. Children can try to spot some of the more personal details of these outfits such as the bees, butterflies, and flowers embroidered on The Queen’s Robe or the depictions of Bluebell and Beth, Her Majesty’s Jack Russell Terriers on the Coronation Dress.
Family Pavilion
Open daily throughout the Summer Opening of Buckingham Palace
When visiting the Summer Opening, visitors have the chance to explore the Family Pavilion in the Palace Garden, especially designed for under-12s. Children can take inspiration from Their Majesties’ Coronation outfits and dress up in gowns and crowns before posing for photographs in a model Gold State Coach, in front of a painting of Queen Victoria’s Coronation, or on a replica Buckingham Palace balcony. Coronation-themed games and quizzes will let children put their knowledge to the test, while for those who would like a quiet moment after all the excitement of the State Rooms, there are colouring and activity sheets, which can be done in the Pavilion or taken home as a memento. There is also a soft-play area filled with toys for under-five’s. In the garden, families can also enjoy the Garden Café which is situated on the Palace’s West Terrace. The café offers a children’s lunch bag as well as ice cream from stands along the garden path.
Family Mondays
Every Monday (Monday 31 July – Monday 28 August), 11:00–15:00
Every Monday this summer, a rotating programme of arts and crafts activities in the Family Pavilion will allow young visitors to create the perfect royal souvenir to take home. After watching the Changing the Guard in front of the Palace, children can create their own Guardsmen bookmarks. Inspired by the amazing Coronation display and the incredible artworks found within the Palace, children can design their own crowns and paint their own Coronation portraits.
Family Festival
Monday, 28 August, 11:00–15:00
On this special Family Festival day, families visiting the State Rooms can enjoy storytelling sessions exploring Queen Victoria’s magnificent Coronation, told on the stage in the Family Pavilion. Children and families will also be able to take part in craft activities outside in the Palace Garden.
By purchasing a Royal Day Out ticket, visitors can combine their visit to the State Rooms with a trip to the Royal Mews, where they will see the spectacular Gold State Coach, which carried Their Majesties back to Buckingham Palace from the Abbey on the Coronation Day. During the Family Festival, families visiting the Mews can join a special family tour and learn all about the amazing carriages and horses that call the Mews home.
Click here to learn more about Royal Collection Trust.
