Ever fancied an access all areas glimpse at the Queen's residence Buckingham Palace? While the royal palace is typically the preserve of guests and paying visitors, now anyone can get a peek inside the landmark from the comfort of their own home with Google's new virtual tour.
The online virtual reality experience takes viewers into some of the palace's lavishly decorated rooms including the state rooms, which provide the setting for ceremonial occasions, and the ballroom, where investiture ceremonies are carried out by the Queen and other senior royals.
The tour begins at Buckingham Palace's Grand Staircase
Starting at the Grand Staircase, the tour gives an insight into the history of the palace, as well as offering a 360⁰ view of the landmark's ornate décor and incredible artwork. The tour continues through the Throne Room, the Picture Gallery and the Ballroom, before concluding in The White Drawing Room – where a secret door leads to the Queen's private apartments.
School children will also be able to get a similar insight into how the Queen both lives and works in the palace via the Google Expeditions app, which allows teachers to take students on a virtual field trip from any classroom in the world.
Viewers will also get a glimpse inside the Throne Room
Jemima Rellie, Director of Content and Audiences, Royal Collection Trust, said: "For schoolchildren, Buckingham Palace is one of the most iconic, magical buildings in the world. We're terrifically excited that, thanks to the VR potential of Google Expedition, children, their teachers and families can visit the palace, wherever they live."
Buckingham Palace is not the first iconic landmark to be given the virtual reality treatment; the Google Expeditions app includes more than 150 trips to locations around the world including the White House and the Great Barrier Reef. However the royal palace was chosen after thousands of schoolchildren selected it as the number-one destination that they wanted to visit.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThousands of schoolchildren said they most wanted to visit Buckingham Palace
The virtual Buckingham Palace experience can be viewed on The British Monarchy YouTube channel using a tablet or smart phone.
