King Charles has ‘half a smile’ as Buckingham Palace closes its doors until 2027
Buckingham Palace will not host state visits for the next three years as it undergoes a £369million refurbishment programme.
The historic royal residence will welcome the Emir of Qatar next month for what will be its final state visit until 2027.
All subsequent state visits will be relocated to Windsor Castle while the extensive renovation works continue.
The closure marks a significant shift in royal hospitality arrangements as the palace undergoes its largest refurbishment in decades.
King Charles III has relocated his private office from the north wing to the Belgian Suite on the ground floor of the palace’s west-facing Garden Wing.
His new workspace includes the Orleans Room, where the King himself was born on November 14, 1948.
A friend of the King suggested that working in the room he was born in will bring “half a smile” to the monarch.
They said: “He is always aware of the significance of history, and the decision to be based in the Orleans Room won’t have been taken without half a smile.
The friend told The Times: “The King will enjoy the symmetry of discharging his duties as monarch in the room where he was born.”
The extensive renovation project, which began in 2017, focuses on replacing ageing cabling and plumbing systems that have not been updated since the 1950s.
The works were deemed essential to prevent potential “catastrophic fire or flooding” risks in the palace with dangerous asbestos also removed from several rooms through “abrasive brickwork cleaning”.
The project has engaged apprentices of various ages, including school leavers and career changers, to help restore the Grade One-listed building.
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The East Wing renovations, which began in 2018, were completed earlier this year, including the famous central balcony area facing the Mall.
For the first time in July, visitors gained access to previously restricted areas of the East Wing, with 6,000 tickets selling out within hours.
Since 2017, 236 planning applications have been submitted to modernise the palace, including converting 19th century servants’ bedrooms into a “central collaboration space” for 300 office staff.
The full reservicing programme, funded through the taxpayer-funded sovereign grant, will continue until 2027, with temporary pauses for summer tourism.