Image: King's Gallery, London
Buckingham Palace will open to visitors from 9 July to 27 September 2026 with a new display in the Picture Gallery, where paintings by Rubens, Caravaggio and Zoffany will be shown among 120 works. Royal Collection Trust said the gallery has been transformed for the season after curators reviewed historic watercolour prints, photographs, architectural schemes and inventories to devise the re-display.
The announcement comes through the trust’s summer visitor email, which presents the Palace opening as an invitation to explore the State Rooms and the Picture Gallery in one visit. The Picture Gallery, described by the trust as one of the Palace’s most important reception rooms, has been rehung with new emerald-green silk wall hangings. According to the email, the new arrangement took 875 hours to hang.
The gallery’s temporary overhaul also reframes a space with a long royal history. The trust says it was originally designed to showcase George IV’s paintings collection and has been altered over time by successive monarchs. Today, it is seen by more than half a million visitors each year and remains a central space for art display and important occasions.
The new display significantly expands the number of paintings on view, moving from 63 to 120. The trust has made the transformation itself part of the experience, pointing visitors to a timelapse video documenting the rehanging. The email also emphasises that the gallery now brings together some of the world’s best-known artists in a setting associated with the workings of the royal household rather than a conventional museum installation.
Alongside the Picture Gallery, Royal Collection Trust is offering a series of add-on experiences during the summer opening. These include the East Wing Highlights Tour, which goes behind the scenes to the principal rooms behind the iconic balcony and visits the Centre Room, with views of the Palace Balcony first used by Queen Victoria. After the tour, visitors are escorted to the start of their self-guided State Rooms visit.
The email also advertises a Garden Highlights Tour of the Buckingham Palace garden, described as a tranquil walled oasis in central London with 325 wild plant species, around 25 breeding bird species and more than 1,000 trees. For one day only, on Tuesday 22 September from 14:30 to 19:00, the trust will also hold an exclusive study afternoon at the Palace when it is closed to the public. That programme includes three talks from the curatorial team on the Picture Gallery re-display, followed by a curator-led tour through selected State Rooms.
Other summer offerings mentioned in the email include the Royal Mews, where visitors can see the 260-year-old Gold State Coach, and afternoon tea in the Garden Café served in limited-edition keepsake tins. The trust also notes that 'Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style' takes place at The King’s Gallery and requires a separate ticket, with summer dates sold out but availability from December onwards.
