If you’ve ever wondered how to live like royalty, you can now find out. Last week, May 21, King Charles opened the doors to his mother Queen Elizabeth II’s private apartments in the Palace of Holyroodhouse in honor of her 100th birthday. Not to be confused with Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire—which is the royal family’s private home, and also open to the public—Holyroodhouse serves as the British Royal Family’s official Scottish residence.
This is the first time the rooms will be open to the public. From now until September, visitors can walk through the east wing rooms where the late monarch lived during her Edinburgh stays—the Royal Breakfast Room, Dressing Room, and Sitting Room—a three-room suite that offers a portrait of the Queen as she actually lived.
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The Palace of Holyroodhouse.
The tours are being offered by the Royal Collection Trust, the charity that manages the Royal Collection (the British royals’ art collection) and the public opening of royal residences across the UK. They will be offered for just 100 days, with tickets currently starting at £75.00 (about $100) for day-of. Tours started last week, May 21, and will run through September 10, 2026.
“Very few people would ever have set foot into these rooms,” Richard Williams, learning curator for The Royal Collection, recently told Vanity Fair. “What’s so special about the rooms at Holyroodhouse is that they give a totally new insight into the private lives of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. To see where they felt most comfortable when they were off duty gives us a real insight into them as people.”
The suite occupies the palace’s east wing, where 17th-century interiors look out over Holyrood Park. Furniture throughout was crafted by Scottish cabinetmakers Young, Trotter, and Hamilton, with additional pieces drawn from both the Royal Collection and the personal holdings of the Queen and Prince Phillip.
David Cheskin, © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2026 | Royal Collection Trust
The Sitting Room.
The Royal Breakfast Room, where the couple dined privately during their Edinburgh stays, is lined with a suite of mid-17th century tapestries by Flemish craftsman Jacob Wauters—pastoral hunting and sylvan scenes that George V and Queen Mary had installed in the 1920s. In the Dressing Room, three outfits worn by the Queen at notable Edinburgh engagements are on display, including the Karl Ludwig van Rehse tweed coat and crepe dress she wore to host the 8,000-person Garden Party during Royal Week 2017. The Sitting Room is where the Queen reviewed government papers delivered in official red dispatch boxes, and where a low-slung television kept her current on her beloved horse racing.
The art on the walls reflects Prince Phillip’s taste more than hers—he was a committed champion of contemporary Scottish painting and served as Patron of the Royal Scottish Academy of Art—including Flowers, Cornfield, Pale Sun by Josh Houston above the fireplace and David Young Cameron’s The Heart of Perthshire.
David Cheskin, © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2026 | Royal Collection Trust
The Breakfast Room.
This opening might be the first of many. According to Vanity Fair, Charles reportedly has plans to turn Buckingham Palace into a museum and to allow tours of select rooms at his private country residence, Highgrove. “The King wants to open more palaces to the public. It’s a way of making money for royal charities like the Royal Collection and the King’s Foundation while allowing the public to experience something unique,” a source close to the palace told Vanity Fair.
Tours run in small guided groups capped at 25 visitors per entry slot, offered alongside the standard palace visit, which covers the ceremonial State Apartments and the historic chambers associated with Mary, Queen of Scots. With 100 days of availability and just a couple dozen guests per slot, the window is narrow. Tickets are available here.
Julia Cancilla is the social media & news editor at ELLE Decor, where she oversees the brand’s socials and covers design, pop culture, and emerging trends. She also authors the monthly ELLE Decoroscope column. Her work has appeared in Inked magazine, House Beautiful, Marie Claire, and more.