Queen's Gallery

The Queen's Gallery contains treasures from the vast Royal Collection. Her Majesty possesses one of the finest and most valuable art collections in the world. It is particularly rich in the works of old masters such as Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt.

The Royal Collection is a tribute to the patronage and artistic taste of Kings and Queens from the 16th to the 21st centuries. Held in trust by the Queen for her successor and the nation, the collection is completely self-funded.

This small gallery, on the southwest corner of Buckingham Palace, was opened in 1962 at the suggestion of the Queen and Prince Philip, who wished to establish a public gallery to display works of art from The Royal Collection.

For many years the Queen's art adviser was Sir Anthony Blunt, but in 1979 he was exposed as a Soviet spy and stripped of his knighthood.

The regularly changing exhibitions, based on a theme, give the public a chance to see some of the 9,000 works of art displayed in the Royal palaces or kept in store.

Until 1962 The Queen's Gallery was used as a conservatory and at one time the building was also used as a chapel. After remodelling by the architects John Simpson and Partners, The Queen's Gallery re-opened in May 2002 in time for Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee celebrations.