It's Extreme Makeover: Buckingham Palace Edition! That's right, some major changes are currently taking place at Her Majesty the Queen’s residence.
On Sunday, the royal family’s official Instagram account shared a video giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the palace’s most recent project in the East Wing's Yellow Drawing Room. Perhaps the most interesting part? The wallpaper. Yes, we're serious.
Watch the full video below.
In the two minute clip, we see the room being emptied in preparation for reservicing work (including replacing pipes and wires and installing a new lift) before the wallpaper is removed one piece at a time. According to Hello!, the refurbishment will cost £369 million ($490 million).
“We are very carefully removing the wallpaper, beautiful 19th-century Chinese wallpaper, piece by piece, and then we will take it back to the studios to conserve it and preserve it for the future,” wallpaper conservator Allyson McDermott explains in the video. “This is the perfect time. The paper is desperately in need of conservation. It's very acidic. It's very fragile. And this is just a wonderful opportunity to do it whilst all the work is being carried out at the palace.”
The video also details the changes that are being implemented to make the palace more accessible. “The Reservicing programme is vital in order to mitigate the risk of fire and flood and will ensure that old wiring is brought in line with current health and safety standards,” part of the caption reads. “The refurbishment will also improve visitor access and make the Palace more energy efficient.”
Even a palace needs a facelift sometimes...