Buckingham Palace picture gallery emptied for first time in 44 years
The gallery is one of the main state rooms and where the Queen hosts many official visits and receptions.
Monday 23 November 2020 16:40, UK
The paintings in Buckingham Palace's picture gallery have been removed for the first time in 44 years to make way for renovations.
Some 65 artworks have been taken down over the last month - including pieces by Rembrandt, Van Dyck and Canaletto.
The gallery was covered in protective flooring as art handlers used scaffolding and ladders to access the pictures.
Paintings have adorned the walls since the room was first created for George IV in the 1820s, but it has not been emptied since it was last decorated in 1976.
Highlights include Rembrandt's The Shipbuilder and His Wife and Vermeer's Lady at the Virginals with a Gentleman.
The gallery is used as one of the main state rooms and typically forms the backdrop to state visits, receptions and official events.
The Queen hosted US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump there, and had special displays created in honour of their visit in 2019.
Some of the gallery's renovations form part of the 10-year programme to update the palace's essential infrastructure - a lot of which has not been renewed since the Second World War.
Plans include replacing the 200-year-old roof, removing old pipes and wires and installing a new lift to improve visitor accessibility.
Many of the gallery's masterpieces will form part of an exhibition in Buckingham Palace from 4 December to January 2022.
The palace's renovations - which started in April 2017 and are due to finish by 2027 - will cost around £369m.
A temporary increase in the taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant is helping pay for the work.