【英语时差8,16】Buckingham Palace 白金汉宫（在线收听）

Every year for two months between the end of July and the end of September, the public is given the chance to visit one of Queen’s palaces.Buckingham Palace is the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II and has been the official London residence of Britain’s Sovereign since 1837. It’s also the administrative headquarters of the Monarch. There are many offices in this very impressive building and I just found out that it has 775 rooms. And these rooms include 19 staterooms which are open to the public.Jennifer Scott is the assistant curator in the palace and here she shows us the throne room. Well, it’s a pretty fantastic room. As soon as you walk in, it’s got that wow factor. That helps us to understand the function of this room. Because it’s intended for when visitors come to see the Monarch, they come to see the Monarch enthroned here and they are intended to be overawed by the opulence, the magnificence of this setting. That’s right of the Queen’s wedding photograph, and she was photographed here standing here with the wedding party. It makes the perfect setting with the throne canapé over her head. But I think that helps us to remember this is a room where history is constantly being made. This is a room that’s used today still for many functions. In 1853, Queen Victoria decided that the palace needed a room to entertain its guests, so an extension was built to open up the palace. What a glorious extension. This is the ball room, so it’s intended for balls and for concerts, and it’s massive. It’s 34 meters long. So when you come in here, it gives you that experience as a visitor, the experience of coming into the palace, and the way in which the architecture works to give you a sense of state. Well, Buckingham Palace is one of Britain’s great national treasures and is definitely worth a visit.