As lockdown continues a number of cultural hotspots across the world are opening their virtual doors to the isolated world to provide entertainment and exploration from the comfort of your living room.
Following on from the Queen’s address to the nation last night, Buckingham Palace is offering an exclusive look at life inside the palace for those who want to see just what home life looks like for the monarch.
The virtual tour is available on the royal.uk website and boasts a look behind the curtain at some of the most lavish rooms the royal residence has to offer.
Usually, the palace only opens its doors to visitors for the first few months of the year, but that’s to this immersive technology it can be enjoyed year-round.
Using state-of-the-art 3D technology, royal enthusiasts can immerse themselves in the luxurious building, enjoying tours of the Throne Room, the White Drawing Room, the Blue Drawing Room and the Grand Staircase.
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Though viewers won’t be able to see exactly how the Queen and Prince Philip are currently enjoying isolation, they will have the opportunity to explore a number of rooms.
According to the Royal website: “The Queen uses the Castle both as a private home, where she usually spends the weekend, and as an official Royal residence at which she undertakes certain formal duties from Investitures to State Visits.”
Visitors are welcomed to click their way around a State Banquet in St George’s Hall or access the Waterloo Chamber and the Crimson Drawing Room.
Alternatively, viewers can head to Scotland and explore inside the beautiful Palace of Holyrood House.
The Royal website also allows users to take a look around the Queen’s official residence in Scotland.
Though this is usually open to the public year-round, during lockdown while the physical doors are now shut, visitors are welcome to explore the history of the building using a virtual tour.
The first tour shows off the ornate Grand Stair.
Additional tours include the Morning Drawing Room and the Royal Dining Room, each which come with detailed information about their use and design features.
Other virtual tours of big-name locations include the V&A Museum, the Natural History Museum and The British Museum, all of whom have reported a spike in traffic on their virtual tours online according to the BBC.
Elsewhere in the world, Google Arts and Culture is offering everything from tours of world-famous art galleries and museums, to explorations of some of the planet’s most stunning national parks.
Included in its national park offering is the Kenai Fjords, Alaska; Hawaiʻi Volcanoes, Hawaii; Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico and Dry Tortugas, Florida.
All tours are available on the Google Arts and Culture website.
