Buckingham Palace State Rooms Summer Opening - London

Buckingham Palace has seen record numbers of visitors during the 2011 State Rooms Summer Opening. The Palace Gardens with a lake and cafe are really hot with tourists as London is baking in unseasonable temperatures, topping 29°C.

With only two days remaining till the 3rd October, when the Summer Opening is coming to an end, all online tickets are sold out and the only hope to buy a ticket is the Palace ticket office.

The Duchess of Cambridge's wedding dress, designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, and a special Royal Fabergé exhibition of over 100 masterpieces by Peter Carl Fabergé are generating sell outs during this season.

The Royal wedding dress is the main exhibit of A Story of Great British Design show. It takes centre-stage in the Ballroom at Buckingham Palace. The dress is displayed alongside the magnificent Cartier "Halo" tiara, lent by The Queen to The Duchess on her wedding day, The Duchess’s wedding shoes, hand-made by the team at Alexander McQueen, the diamond earrings commissioned by the Middleton family as a personal gift to the bride from her parents, and a replica of the bridal bouquet.

The display also includes a special exhibition film in which Sarah Burton discusses for the first time the creation of the dress. Keeping in mind that the wedding took place at Westminster Abbey, the dress had to have a presence. It had to be historical and contemporary at the same time. Her Royal Highness worked closely with Sarah Burton in formulating the design of her dress.

The 8-tiered royal wedding cake by Fiona Cairns and large-scale reproductions of the official wedding photographs, showing The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the pages and young bridesmaids are on display in The Throne Room, where they were taken by photographer Hugo Burnand.

The magnificent State Rooms are used extensively by The Queen and Members of the Royal Family to receive and entertain their guests on State, ceremonial and official occasions. During August and September when The Queen makes her annual visit to Scotland, the Palace's nineteen state rooms are open to visitors.

By the end of the tour visitors find themselves in "walled oasis in the middle of London", the Palace's garden. They can take photos of the splendid views of the west front of the Palace and the garden lake. Summer Café in the Palace garden is a cool place to enjoy your refreshments with cakes or ice-cream.

Buckingham Palace State Rooms Summer Opening dates: 23 July - 3 October 2011.

News and photos by Eugenie Absalom