By Taisuke Senoo

I visited Buckingham Palace when I took part in the overseas study tour in Europe.　Since the Queen was not in town we could take a tour of the Palace. The Palace, which is generally used for receptions and official events, is open to the public. If the Royal Family's flag flies on the roof, it means that the Queen is in the palace. When the Queen is gone, the British flag is flown there.

Windsor castle was severely damaged by a fire in November 1992, so Buckingham Palace was opened to the public to help pay the cost of repairs. After the repairs were finished, money from public tours has been used for maintenance fees for the Royal Family's collections and for the rebuilding of the Queen's Gallery for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

Our guide led us along the Mall to the East Front Gate of the palace, where we saw the grand building and the monument in front of it. Today, this place has become a tourist attraction. When the Changing of the Guard takes place, it is always very crowded. It was also crowded when I went there.

There are many attractive things there, such as historically valuable furnishings, fine ornamental articles and refined and elegant furniture. The atmosphere of this palace, where many cultural, artistic and international events take place, overwhelmed me.

Buckingham Palace is one of the most famous buildings in the world and it is also a symbol of England. The present appearance of this palace has taken many generations to complete. This building was built as a private residence for the Duke of Buckingham in 1702. After that, King George III bought it in 1760. Its ownership was later transferred to the Royal Family. There have been many changes and renovations to the palace to make it what it is today.

Queen Elizabeth II exercises public functions such as a Ceremonial events in this palace as the ruler of England and the head of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Though there are many collections of paintings, sculptures, furniture, and so on, it doesn't feel like an art museum. This is one of the few palaces where official duties take place.

Visitors first reach the State Room passing through the main entrance called the Grand Entrance from the Ambassador's Courtyard. Distinguished guests who take part in garden parties or night receptions are welcomed in the same place before proceeding to the State Room. The State Room is the place where the Queen welcomes heads of state of foreign countries on their first official visiting day. This room is made in a way where the whole space seems to be bigger than it actually is due to the position of cylindrical marble pillars and the staircase. Such effects are apparent on the Grand Staircase, too.

The Grand Staircase is narrower than those of aristocratic residences of that era. It is narrow, but because the ceiling is very high it seems wider than it really is. Natural sunlight floods the room, creating a bright atmosphere. This bright mood gives visitors pleasant feelings and they look forward to what is ahead.

When you reach the west side of second floor, you can get a good view of the 16-hectare garden. In the late summer afternoon, the room is full of warm sunshine and fresh air. And at times, a scent of grass that has been recently cut fills the room. Red, white and gold is the basic color scheme throughout the building. It has a unified and stately grace to it.

Buckingham Palace is also where the Queen conducts official functions and various kinds of people gather there for special events. There are a lot of interesting things in Buckingham Palace, and we can get a glimpse of English history and learn some historical facts about the Royal Family there.