GREAT SCOT
The Queen gives a rare glimpse inside the palace of Holyrood which has a giant painting of her in Victoria’s dining room
THE Queen has offered royal fans a rare glimpse inside the Palace of Holyrood after her annual Scottish trip was cancelled.
The monarch usually spends one week a year at the residence, officially called the Palace of Holyroodhouse, but as she can’t make it Her Majesty gave a virtual tour on instead.
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The sprawling property, in Edinburgh, is the Queen’s official residence when she’s in Scotland, and she normally hosts lavish garden parties for thousands of people.
Sharing snaps of the palace online, the royal family said: “This week would have been Holyrood Week, where the Queen visits Scotland and hosts thousands of guests at the Palace of Holyroodhouse."
The site has been used by kings and queens for the past 500 years, as the tour delved into its long history.
They said: “In 1128, long before the palace existed, King David I built Holyrood Abbey, at the foot of Arthur’s Seat.
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“It’s said that while he was out hunting, David I had a vision of a stag with a glowing cross, or a ‘rood’, between its antlers.
“‘Holyrood’ means ‘holy cross’.”
Fans are then treated to a brief history of the palace, with King James IV revealed as the first monarch who decided to convert the ‘royal lodgings’ into a new palace for his wife - Margaret Tudor.
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The pair were the grandparents of the palace’s most famous resident, Mary, Queen of Scots.
The royals said: “Mary became Queen of Scotland in 1542, when she was only a few days old.
“After spending years at the French court, Mary returned to live at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in 1561.”
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Mary’s chambers are some of the highlights visitors can enjoy at the castle, when it re-opens, with her bed-chamber and supper room arranged as she would have had it.
Aside from the historical elements there are rooms which have been modernised and are in use today.
The caption read: “Rooms in the Palace of Holyroodhouse that are used today include the Great Gallery, where Investitures are held.
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“The room is lined with portraits of every King of Scotland, starting with the legendary Fergus I, who was said to have founded Scotland in 330BC.”
The tour then moves on to a lavish dining room, which has a giant portrait of the Queen.
The description says: “It was queen Victoria who decided this room should be the Royal Dining Room.”
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Alongside the painting of the Queen dressed in stately robes is a portrait of King George IV, who reigned from 1820-1830.
The sumptuous dining room leads to an impressive spiral staircase, with the post saying: “This is the Great Stair, which leads up to the State Rooms.
“The tapestries on the walls are from the sixteenth century, and were chosen by Prince Albert.”
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And she also gave a glimpse inside Buckingham Palace with her gold-leaf piano and chairs embroidered in her initials.
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