Step inside Buckingham Palace as Queen marks 69 years as the monarch

Queen Elizabeth II is marking 69 years since she became the monarch and took over the throne.

And as the major milestone approaches, let’s take a look inside her primary residence of the past seven decades: the Buckingham Palace.

The royal residence which was initially a large townhouse for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703, was turned into a private residence for King George and his wife Queen Charlotte III in 1761.

Later in the 19th century, it was expanded by architects John Nash and Edward Blore who built three wings around the central courtyard.

After being known as the Queen’s House, it was named Buckingham Palace in 1837, as it became the official London residence of the monarch.

The palace comes with 775 rooms—which includes 52 bedrooms, 19 staterooms and 188 staff bedrooms—along with 92 offices and 78 bathrooms.

Let’s take a sneak peek inside: