.jpg?width=96&crop=1:1,smart)
A new behind the scenes look at the private apartments used by Queen Elizabeth II when in residence at the Palace of Holyroodhouse has opened to visitors for the first time to mark the centenary of her birth.
For the next 100 days, small groups will be able to get a peek behind the royal curtains. Guided tours will let people discover the history of the rooms and learn how they were used by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, during her 70-year reign.
Tours will take visitors through rooms and spaces including the Royal Breakfast Room, where the Queen and Prince Philip would dine privately while in residence. In the Dressing Room, giving a sense of how the Queen would prepare for official engagements, visitors will see three ensembles and accessories from her wardrobe, each worn during a significant occasion in Edinburgh.
The tours will conclude in the Sitting Room where the late Queen would work, reviewing the papers and documents presented in the Government red dispatch boxes, as well as using the room for private audiences or resting between engagements, often while watching horseracing on television.
After their tour of Queen Elizabeth II’s private apartments, visitors can explore the rich history of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, including the magnificent State Apartments and the historic apartments of Mary, Queen of Scots, all included in the ticket price.
Combined tickets cost £71 in advance, or £75 on the day. The Queen Elizabeth II Private Apartment Tours are available only in 2026, running daily for 100 days from Thursday, May 21 to September 10.
1. Palace of Holyroodhouse
A member of staff from the Royal Trust Collection takes a closer look at a green teal wool hat with in-laid straw emerald green brim, designed by Rachel Trevor-Morgan, that the late Queen Elizabeth II wore for the opening of the 6th session of the Scottish Parliament in October 2021 which is on display at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, the official residence of the monarch in Scotland. | Jane Barlow/PA Wire
2. Palace of Holyroodhouse
One of the Government red dispatch boxes on the desk in the Sitting Room where the late Queen Elizabeth II would work, reviewing the papers and documents, at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, the official residence of the monarch in Scotland. | Jane Barlow/PA Wire Photo: Jane Barlow/PA Wire
3. Palace of Holyroodhouse
The Dressing Room, where Queen Elizabeth II would prepare for official engagements at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, the official residence of the monarch in Scotland. The apartments will open to the public for the first time as part of celebrations for the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II's birth. | Jane Barlow/PA Wire
4. Palace of Holyroodhouse
A member of staff from the Royal Trust Collection alongside a silk evening dress designed by John Anderson and worn by the late Queen Elizabeth II for the Commonwealth Heads of Government reception held in 1997, at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, the official residence of the monarch in Scotland. | Jane Barlow/PA Wire