Fit For A Queen

What do you give the woman who has everything? A bag of salt or a totem pole. Sarah Riches unwraps Buckingham Palace’s new Royal Gifts exhibition

- Sarah Riches

Buckingham Palace is throwing open its doors once more, giving visitors the chance to explore its magnificent State Rooms. While the Queen uses the rooms to receive, reward and entertain visitors such as dignitaries, each summer the public is invited to an exhibition. Previous summers have seen the rooms display The Queen’s Coronation (2013), A Royal Welcome (2015) and the Queen’s gowns in Fashioning a Reign (2016), which marked the monarch’s 90th birthday year.

This year, the rooms will be dedicated to presents given to the Queen. While perishable items are usually used or given to charity, the non-perishable gifts that are not donated to charity are stored according to curatorial advice or placed on long-term loan to cultural institutions.

CURATING THE EXHIBITION

Many of the gifts given to the Queen have become part of the Royal Collection, and are displayed in 15 royal residences across the UK – most of which are open to the public. Royal Gifts (from 22 Jul) is the first display of the Queen’s gift collection.

The exhibition’s curator, Sally Good sir, says: ‘A small number of official gifts have been on display at Buckingham Palace during the 24 years it has been open to the public, but never on this scale. More than 250 objects from over 100 countries are on display to explore Her Majesty’s roles as Head of State, Head of the Commonwealth and Head of Nation. The exhibition includes gifts given during State visits, overseas tours and official engagements, plus those presented to mark significant moments in the Queen’s life.