Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2011
THEN During the London Blitz of World War II, on Sept. 13, 1940, the Nazi German Air Force (the Luftwaffe) bomb Buckingham Palace while King George VI and his wife Elizabeth Queen consort (now The Queen Mother) are in residence. The palace is struck by five explosives during the raid, including two in the inner quadrangle, and one in the Royal Chapel. The royal couple survives unharmed. The Luftwaffe continues to make numerous unsuccessful attempts on the lives of the royals only causing repairable property damage to the palace. Throughout the London Blitz, King George VI and the Queen consort insist on remaining in residence at Buckingham Palace—a decision that would garner significant support and admiration for the royal couple from the British people. NOW Today, Buckingham Palace, the official London residence of Britain’s sovereigns since 1837, is one of the city’s prime tourist attractions. The palace was first opened for public viewing in 1993 to pay for restoration work on Windsor Castle after a fire the year before. The plan was to only accept visitors for three years, but it has remained open ever since for viewing of many of its 775 rooms. On April 29 of this year, continuing a long tradition, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, Prince William and Kate Middleton were introduced to the world as husband and wife. The Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress is currently on exhibition at the Palace and has drawn more than 354,000 visitors—about 50,000 more than the Palace usually attracts in a given summer season.
