The Royal Collection Trust are to open up the private rooms used by Elizabeth II at Palace of Holyroodhouse for the first time this summer, to coincide with what would have been the late Queen’s 100th birthday.
The Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh is the official royal residence in Scotland, and has been the setting for many significant occasions throughout the late Queen’s reign.
While she and Prince Philip visited Edinburgh and its surrounds for engagements in the area, they would occupy a suite of private rooms on the East side of the Palace, which overlooked the gardens and Holyrood Park. The modestly-decorated rooms will offer a rare glimpse into the personal spaces used between official duties.
The rooms, which have been used by successive Monarchs and members of the Royal Family since the reign of Queen Victoria, are dated from the 17th century. They are furnished with objects from the Royal Collection, as well as objects from the Queen and Prince Philip’s own personal collections, which demonstrate their affection for Scotland.
Tours will take guests through rooms including the Royal Breakfast Room, where the late Queen and Duke of Edinburgh would dine privately whilst in residence. It features magnificent Flemish tapestries, woven around 1650, with a beautiful design of a pergola framing an ornate vase filled with flowers. These tapestries were hung during the 1920s at the request of George V and Queen Mary.
Visitors will also be taken through to the Dressing Room, giving them a sense of how the Queen prepared for her public engagements. Here, three ensembles from her wardrobe will be on display, with each outfit was worn during a significant occasion in Edinburgh.
This includes a purple coat made of a silk wool blend paired with a green silk-crepe and lace dress, which the Monarch opted to wear during the official opening of Scottish Parliament on July 1999.
This outfit was paired with a shawl of purple and green Isle of Sky tartan, woven on the Isle of Lewis; the full ensemble was inspired by the Scottish landscape.
Another of Elizabeth II’s outfits on show will be a silk evening dress, covered with white, pink, gold and cream beads and sequins, and worn for the Commonwealth Heads of Government reception at Holyroodhouse in 1997.
As part of Holyrood Week, when the Monarch spends dedicated time north of the border, a garden party typically takes place at the Palace.
In 2017, she wore a coat of white and tweed fabric to the event, highlighted with accents of pink, yellow and green within the weave, with a pink wool crepe day dress, both by designer Karl Ludwig van Rehse.
The look was completed with a hat by Angela Kelly, which includes tweed fabric accentuated by an upturned straw brim and is highlighted with floral embellishments.
The tour will conclude in the Sitting Room, where the Queen would have worked and reviewed documents presented in her daily red boxes of government papers. This room was also used for private audiences or resting between engagements, often watching horseracing on television.
Prince Philip was an enthusiastic collector of contemporary Scottish art and was also Patron of the Royal Scottish Academy of Art. Throughout the tour, visitors will see pieces from his private collection including works by 20th century Scottish artists, acquired over 40 years at the Royal Scottish Academy of Art’s annual exhibitions and reflecting his deep appreciation of Scotland’s wildlife and scenery.
The rooms seen throughout the tour are furnished with a range of items from the Royal Collection, made by the Edinburgh firm Young, Trotter and Hamilton. These pieces were supplied in 1796 for the Comte d’Artois, Charles-Philippe, who was seeking refuge at the Palace during the French Revolution. He was Marie Antoinette’s brother-in-law and would later become Charles X of France.
The Curator of Palace of Holyroodhouse, Emma Stead has said: ‘Queen Elizabeth II’s well-known love for Scotland will be given fresh context through this unique and special access to the private apartments, where visitors will enjoy a new perspective into both the formal and more informal use of Edinburgh’s royal palace.’
After the tour visitors can explore the rich history of Holyroodhouse, including the magnificent state apartments and the historic apartments of Mary, Queen of Scots, which is included in the ticket price.
You can buy the tickets here.
