His Majesty King Charles III may reside at his private and much-loved home of Clarence House in London, but he also has access to the iconic royal residence, Buckingham Palace. Within the palace grounds, there's a lesser-seen lake and it's been showcased in rare photos by photographer John Campbell on Instagram. The post was shared on The Royal Collection Trust's Instagram feed to showcase the royal home in Autumn, and it included serene snaps of the palace's gorgeous lake.
One of the images shows the body of water with the back of the property in the background of the snap and another perfectly showcased the 3.5-acre lake surrounded by trees, which were reflected in the calm waters.
In 2019, the official Royal Family Instagram account shared a couple of photos of the beautiful place, and revealed its unique history. The caption read: "The lake, seen here, is man-made, and lined with clay to ensure the water does not escape. When the clay was first laid, the workmen allowed cattle to walk over it, binding it with their hooves."
© PA Images via Getty Images
Interestingly, there are two islands in the middle of the lake and the Royal Collection Trust website explains: "Recently on one of the islands, two species of endangered beetle were discovered: the Mint Flea beetle (Longitarsus ferrugineus) and the Horseshoe Ladybird beetle (Clitostethus arcuatus)."
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Are the Buckingham Palace gardens open to the public?
Certain parts of the gardens are open during the annual Summer Opening season, when the King is away on his holidays in Scotland. Tickets allow visitors to tour the lawn, view the lake, and visit the garden shop and terrace café. This summer, members of the public were charged £48.00 for a standard ticket for the state rooms and garden highlights tour. Photography is banned within the garden, and visitors will be reminded of this when they tour.
© Photo: Getty Images
The garden totals 39 acres in total and is often described as "a walled oasis in the middle of London," as written on the RCT website. It contains 350 types of wildflowers and over 200 trees, creating the most idyllic and unexpected sanctuary in the heart of the city.
His Majesty's Highgrove gardens
While I haven't been to Buckingham Palace's garden, I did get the rare opportunity to have a look around King Charles' private garden at his countryside home, Highgrove and I was truly amazed by how incredibly beautiful it was. Even seeing the grounds in October, they were bustling with colour and full of life. His Majesty has a full team of gardeners to perfect the space, but he is sure to take personal pride in the maintenance himself and has been known to carry a pruning saw in his pocket for any tweaks as he roams the grounds, a garden tour guide told us.
As well as being visually delightful, the space is practical with a bountiful kitchen garden and places for quiet contemplation. We also spied a stunning treehouse which is where Prince William and Prince Harry used to play during their childhood. Sign up to VIP and discover what else I learned during my exclusive tour.