Claim: John Nash designed a palace.

Buckingham Palace -LRB- -LSB- ˈbʌkɪŋəm_ˈpælɪs -RSB- -RRB- is the London residence and administrative headquarters of the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom . Located in the City of Westminster , the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality . It has been a focal point for the British people at times of national rejoicing and mourning .   Originally known as Buckingham House , the building at the core of today 's palace was a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703 on a site that had been in private ownership for at least 150 years . It was acquired by King George III in 1761 as a private residence for Queen Charlotte and became known as The Queen 's House . During the 19th century it was enlarged , principally by architects John Nash and Edward Blore , who constructed three wings around a central courtyard . Buckingham Palace became the London residence of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837 .   The last major structural additions were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries , including the East front , which contains the well-known balcony on which the royal family traditionally congregates to greet crowds . The palace chapel was destroyed by a German bomb during World War II ; the Queen 's Gallery was built on the site and opened to the public in 1962 to exhibit works of art from the Royal Collection .   The original early 19th-century interior designs , many of which survive , include widespread use of brightly coloured scagliola and blue and pink lapis , on the advice of Sir Charles Long . King Edward VII oversaw a partial redecoration in a Belle Époque cream and gold colour scheme . Many smaller reception rooms are furnished in the Chinese regency style with furniture and fittings brought from the Royal Pavilion at Brighton and from Carlton House . The palace has 775 rooms , and the garden is the largest private garden in London . The state rooms , used for official and state entertaining , are open to the public each year for most of August and September and on some days in winter and spring .