"Exclusive Guided Tour" Buckingham Palace

I did this with friends in early December and we really enjoyed it. The guide was good, we saw the inside of the Palace (which you can’t do unless you take the tour) decorated for Christmas, the group was not too large to be able to see or hear, no photos at all but a free book at the end with nice pictures. I was supposed to go in June, 2020, when you could stop in the garden for tea and cake and that would have been fun (not an option in December).

It IS expensive (for me), so I probably will not repeat in the foreseeable future but we were all very glad we went. There are plenty of people on here who grumble about $30 for the Parliament Bldg in Budapest. 🤣 I have quit answering “worth it” questions - way too subjective.

Thanks for the reply. I agree the that "worth it" can be very subjective. It does seem expensive to me for the amount of time, but it sounds lovely to see the inside of Buckingham Palace.

I was tempted to sign up just so I could add the prefix "Lady" to my name. 😊

It is unclear from the website if you see anything more of the Palace than you do during the main summer opening.

Just a lot fewer people and several times dearer.

I wonder if anyone has done both to be able to contrast, if you do or don't see more.

Value is in the eye of the beholder. To me the Summer opening isn't worth the price (so this one by extension can't be), but that is a personal opinion.

Relating to another thread, this is a classic case, IMO, where there should be two tier pricing- UK nationals and (all) overseas tourists. There are all sorts of ways in which UK nationals pay for the Royal Family- not all obvious.

I have only been inside the palace once, but it was free as I was invited to a reception there. From what I saw and from reputation, not least by the late Queen and the King, it's not a terribly attractive place. The Queen never liked staying there and the King has as yet not bothered either.

The best suggestion I have heard recently its that the palace should be converted to house Parliament so that the current House can be properly restored before it completely falls down. That would then make a splendid tourist attraction.

William IV offered Buckingham Palace to Parliament in 1834 as a replacement for the old Palace of Westminster after it had burnt down. He didn't want Buckingham Palace but neither did Parliament. Indeed there haven't been that many monarchs that really liked it, certainly as a place to live in.

I enjoyed doing this in January 2018 and again (with a different friend) in Jan 2020. I am happy to pay a premium for small-group, less rushed/crowded experiences where people can ask questions. I loved that no photography was allowed. My friend enjoyed the tour too and got a kick out of where we were directed to exit the Palace: right out the front gate, so of course other tourists thought we were “important” and took pictures.

Be aware that you are on your feet for the entire tour and that no bathrooms are available during the tour—only at the end.

LOL, @Accidental Southerner! I might pay to do it again to exit through the front gates in front of all the tourists who have no idea! We entered and exited through the art gallery/gift shop. And yes, no places to sit at any point.
Edit: I might totally be confused but I am pretty sure we did get to sit for a while when we were in the reception room and had just forgotten…. They were preparing for a reception the following day.

I agree, a two-tier system here would certainly make sense.

I wouldn’t pay £95 for that but I’m no royalist.

As some people say is it worth it and I definitely think so but that is just my opinion. I had broken my back several months before we went and wasn't sure if I could handle the tour. One of the guides saw me struggling and provided a portable stool and stayed close by me the entire time so I had a marvelous time. We ended up in a reception room with a glass of champagne. What a delight and as stated walking out across the courtyard with tourists taking our pictures and pointing at us was such fun. I hesitated to splurge but a friend wisely said we spent all that money on hotels and airfare and were going to deny ourselves this treat didn't make sense and she was so right. Good luck whatever you decide.