The Belgian apartment in Buckingham Palace

Did you know that there is a Belgian apartment inside Buckingham Palace? Buckingham Palace is known as the administrative headquarters of the British monarchy. Although the immense palace was not Queen Elisabeth's favorite residence, it was her official residence. Some of the 775 rooms together form the Belgian Suite, an apartment where the Queen herself lived with Prince Philip. Her two youngest sons, Andrew and Edward were born there. Later she accommodated her most distinguished guests in the apartment, such as Barack Obama, George Bush senior and George Bush junior, Ronald Reagan, and Gerald Ford.

Picture by Pixabay

The Belgian Suite is a reminder of the strong ties between the British and Belgian royal families that go back to the first Belgian King Leopold I. Even after his coronation as King of Belgium, Leopold I often visited Buckingham Palace to visit his beloved niece, Queen Victoria. He always stayed in the same apartment. Because the King of the Belgians stayed there so regularly, the apartment was soon called the "Belgian Suite" of the palace.

The relationship between the Belgian King Albert and British King George V was also very cordial. They both fought against the Germans in the First World War, while they themselves had German roots. In fact, German was spoken at the British court until the First World War. The two kings also shared the same name "from Saxen-Coburg", at least until after the war when George V changed his name to "from Windsor". The Belgian king also changed his titles of German origin and changed them to "from Belgium".

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