Queen Victoria's Palace, Buckingham Palace

The State Rooms open to the public for ten weeks each summer, allowing visitors to venture beyond Buckingham Palace's gates and into the opulent rooms and treasures of the Royal Collection. Visitors this year will have a special treat in store for them as these regal chambers open with a new exhibition to mark the bicentenary of Queen Victoria's birth.

Victoria transformed Buckingham Palace into the building it is today. The young queen was coronated in 1837 at the age of just 18 and swiftly moved into what was then a largely unfinished royal residence. Throughout her 60-year reign she installed new ballrooms, made the building child-friendly (eight out of her nine children were born in the palace) and was the first monarch to install electricity and telephones into the residence.

Queen Victoria's Palace provides an immersive look into the family and public life of Victoria and Albert at Buckingham Palace. As well as displaying Victoria's intricate gowns and dazzling jewels, the exhibition also uses multimedia projections to recreate original decorations and a waltz in the middle of the main ballroom. Of course, art lovers will have plenty to drool over with a stunning spread of objet d'arts and a picture gallery filled with Dutch and Italian Masters paintings.

If you're looking for some royal adventures with the whole family, then read our full guide to what's on at Buckingham Palace.