The first royal public appearance on it was in 1853, when Queen Victoria reviewed the troops leaving for the Crimean War, Prince Albert at her side. Just eight years later, Albert was dead. Devastated, the Queen withdrew from public life. She would avoid London and Buckingham Palace for decades to come. Buckingham Palace became almost the symbol of her dereliction of duty, because, of course, you know, she was the Queen and she wasn't behaving like a queen. And a notice went up on Buckingham Palace saying, "These illustrious premises are for sale or let, previous occupant having retired." And that's, I think, how people felt about it.


首次皇家的公共活动是在1853年，维多利亚女王在阳台上，检阅准备出征克里米亚的部队。阿尔伯特亲王就在站在她身边，仅过了八年阿尔伯特就死了。女王深受打击，减少了公共活动，自此她鲜少呆在伦敦和白金汉宫。时间长达数十年，白金汉宫几乎成了她玩忽职守的标志。虽然她是女王，但行为却不像女王，甚至在白金汉宫贴了一则告示。这些显赫的建筑可出售或出让，它的前主人已经退休，我想，这就是当时人们对白金汉宫的看法。