Buckingham Palace is opening up the room behind its famous balcony to the public for the first time

Buckingham Palace’s famous balcony room, where the monarch and other members of the Royal Family gather on special occasions before waving at cheering crowds in the streets below, is opening to the public for the first time.

Buckingham Palace’s famous balcony room, where the monarch and other members of the Royal Family gather on special occasions before waving at cheering crowds in the streets below, is opening to the public for the first time.

For royal fans who have waited for hours on The Mall in central London to get a glimpse of the clan as they make their brief balcony appearance during events such as Trooping the Colour, this could be an opportunity to see things from the royal perspective.

Sadly, visitors will not be able to step out onto the balcony itself, so a peek through the net curtains will have to suffice.

The 45-minute guided tours, running from July 15 to August 31, have already sold out, despite a hefty £75 (around US$97) price tag. They follow more than five years of renovation work to the East Wing of Buckingham Palace, which aims to preserve and improve access to the historic building for future generations, according to the Royal Collection Trust.

“Be one of the first visitors to enjoy an exclusive guided tour of the highlights of the East Wing of Buckingham Palace,” the Royal Collection Trust says on its website, adding that visitors will get to discover the “spaces beyond the famous façade” of the palace.

The wing’s Centre Room, as the room behind the balcony is officially known, will probably be the most anticipated part of the guided tour. Last month, Catherine, Princess of Wales joined other royals on the balcony to celebrate the King’s official birthday, in her first public appearance since being diagnosed with cancer.

In the Centre Room, a lotus flower-shaped glass chandelier will be on display, alongside two 18th-century Chinese silk wall hangings, which were given to Queen Victoria by the Emperor of China to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee in 1897. In the Yellow Drawing Room, hand-painted Chinese wallpaper from the 18th century, as well as two Chinese porcelain pagodas, will be on display.