King Charles is set to revamp Buckingham Palace’s gates as a result of tourists rubbing the paint off.
The Royal Household submitted plans this year to repaint the gates, which are leaned on and held by millions of tourists taking pictures.
Planning documents explained that the gates are “highly vulnerable to wear and tear from contact by members of the public”.
The gates are a staple of royal history, featured in several historic moments, including the announcement of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, with Buckingham Palace’s announcement of her passing held at the gates.
King Charles is set to revamp Buckingham Palace gates | PA
The gates feature the Royal Coat of Arms, which includes three lions symbolising England, a rampant lion for Scotland and a harp for Ireland.
The proposed changes cover the forecourt at Buckingham Palace, where the Changing of the Guard takes place.
Planning documents read: “They form an important part of the overall impression of the front of the Palace to the general public, visitors and guests, and to the Royal Family for whom the Fore Court is in regular use.”
The gates, as well as railings and plinths surrounding the Palace, will be repainted.
Queen Elizabeth II’s death was announced at the gates of Buckingham Palace
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PA
Planning representatives for Buckingham Palace shared that the repainting will “enhance the appearance of both the metalwork and stonework and in turn improve the overall appearance of these highly significant front and side elevations of the Palace in its setting”.
They added: “Works would be carried out in situ and would therefore be less intrusive to the fabric, avoiding the need to cut through existing ironwork to enable its removal.”
It is believed that bronze green was previously used on the railings and gates in the 1900s, before they were painted black.
According to planning documents, the decision to repaint the gates to bronze green is based on archive research and studies of the paint and trails on the metalwork and railings, completed by the Royal Household.
The gates, as well as railings and plinths surrounding the palace, will be repainted
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PA
It was used for livery, private cars and the Land Rover hearse which carried Prince Philip’s coffin at his funeral.
At his 2022 memorial service honouring his life, Queen Elizabeth, Camilla, the then Duchess of Cornwall, and Princess Anne also walked in wearing a shade of green.
The colour is closely associated with the late prince.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams explained to The Telegraph: “King Charles has taken the opportunity to change the colour of the Buckingham Palace railings and gates from black to bronze green. These are the most photographed royal gates in the world.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams praised the King for ‘taking the opportunity’
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GETTY“It links them with the mystique of monarchy, as it is a grounding colour with links to tradition and to land and also pays tribute to his father, Prince Philip.
“He founded the Duke of Edinburgh Award, the first level of competition is bronze and the badge is coloured green. The DoE Award is now the King’s Award, so the colour now has direct links with the monarch.
“Prince Philip designed the Land Rover Defender, which was used as his funeral hearse and which was repainted dark bronze green, the colour of camouflage, to reflect his many links with the military. Bronze green is also linked to causes close to King Charles’s heart as an environmental campaigner.
“It is associated with maturity and evokes the timeless traditional values which he espouses in architecture and handicrafts. It is also a colour which is identified with quiet authority.”