Scottish Parliament<\/a> on 1 July 1999, she wore a purple coat with a green silk-crepe and lace dress, completed by a shawl of purple and green Isle of Skye tartan woven on the Island of Lewis\u2014an ensemble designed by Sandra Murray that was inspired by the Scottish landscape.<\/p>\n![\"Queen](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/PHH-QEII-apartments-21-David-Cheskin-1068x712.jpg\")
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For the Commonwealth Heads of Government reception at the Palace in 1997, the Queen wore a stunning silk evening dress by John Anderson, entirely covered with white, pink, gold, and cream beads and sequins embroidered with gold thread. A third ensemble, worn to the Palace Garden Party in 2017, comprises a white tweed coat with accents of pink, yellow, and green, paired with a pink wool crepe day dress by Karl Ludwig van Rehse.<\/p>\n
The tour concludes in the Sitting Room, where the Queen would work\u2014reviewing papers from the Government red dispatch boxes, holding private audiences, or resting between engagements. It was here, often, that she would watch horseracing on television.<\/p>\n
Throughout the rooms, visitors will see highlights from Prince Philip\u2019s private art collection. An enthusiastic collector of contemporary Scottish art and Patron of the Royal Scottish Academy, he acquired works by 20th-century Scottish artists over four decades at the RSA\u2019s annual exhibitions, reflecting his deep appreciation of Scotland\u2019s landscapes and wildlife.<\/p>\n
The apartments also contain remarkable furniture from the Royal Collection made by the Edinburgh firm of Young, Trotter and Hamilton. These pieces were supplied to the Palace in 1796 in preparation for the arrival of Charles-Philippe, Comte d\u2019Artois\u2014Marie Antoinette\u2019s brother-in-law and future Charles X of France\u2014who took refuge at Holyroodhouse during the French Revolution.<\/p>\n
![\"Queen](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/PHH-QEII-apartments-24-David-Cheskin-1068x712.jpg\")
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\u201cQueen Elizabeth II\u2019s well-known love for Scotland will be given fresh context through this unique and special access to the private apartments, where visitors will enjoy a new perspective into both the formal and more informal use of Edinburgh\u2019s royal palace,\u201d said Emma Stead, Curator at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.<\/p>\n
In late June or early July each year, the Queen would stay at the Palace during \u201cHolyrood Week,\u201d undertaking engagements celebrating Scottish culture, history, and achievement\u2014including an annual Garden Party for around 8,000 guests. These tours offer a rare glimpse into where she stayed and how she lived during those visits.<\/p>\n
After the private apartment tour, visitors can explore the rest of the Palace, including the magnificent State Apartments and the historic apartments of Mary, Queen of Scots\u2014all included in the ticket price.<\/p>\n
Royal Collection Trust email subscribers received priority booking access from 9 March, but remaining tickets are now on general sale. Given the limited run and the significance of the centenary, these tours are likely to sell out.<\/p>\n
Queen Elizabeth II Private Apartment Tours<\/p>\n
When: 21 May \u2013 10 September 2026 (100 days only)<\/p>\n
Where: Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh EH8 8DX<\/p>\n
Tickets: Combined ticket (Palace admission + Private Apartment Tour) \u00a371 in advance, \u00a375 on the day. Palace-only admission \u00a322 in advance, \u00a326 on the day. \u00a31 tickets available for visitors receiving Universal Credit and other named benefits.<\/p>\n
Book: rct.uk<\/a> or call +44 (0)303 123 7300<\/p>\nFree British Weekly Newsletter<\/p>\n
A Little Bit of Britain In Your Inbox Weekly. Sign-up for our free weekly British newsletter. Sent every Wednesday with the latest news from Britain!<\/p>\n
\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For 70 years, Queen Elizabeth II returned to the Palace of Holyroodhouse each summer, occupying a suite of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":159335,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-159334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Queen](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/PHH-QEII-apartments-03-David-Cheskin-1068x708.jpg\")
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