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Palaces will reopen to tourists this summer

St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle - PA
St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle - PA

Windsor Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse and parts of Buckingham Palace are to reopen to the tourists this summer, as the Royal Collection implements new Covid-safe protection.

The royal palaces will open to the public complete with hand sanitiser, one-way routes and perspex screens.

The state apartments of Buckingham Palace itself, which usually welcomes tourists in the summer, will remain shut, with staff unable to build the annual infrastructure needed to cope with visitor numbers in time.

Windsor Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace, and The Queen’s Galleries in London and Edinburgh will open their doors on July 23, along with Royal Collection Trust shops.

The decision comes after deep concern for the Royal Collection Trust's finances after the charity warned it is facing the "greatest challenge" in its history.

The trust is seeking voluntary redundancies among its 650 staff and has taken out a £22 million loan after predicting losses of £30 million over the next year because of the closure of its sites during the coronavirus pandemic.

Buckingham Palace itself will remain closed this summer - Getty
Buckingham Palace itself will remain closed this summer - Getty

The Queen has been staying at Windsor with the Duke of Edinburgh with a reduced household for their safety since before the start of lockdown.

She would usually travel to Balmoral for the summer, with a decision on this year's trip not yet finalised.

An exhibition programme at the Queen's Galleries will resume, including a look at "arguably the most magnificent, and certainly the most flamboyant of British monarchs" in George IV: Art & Spectacle, and a collection of "Masterpieces from Buckingham Palace".