More than 600,000 people passed through the doors of Buckingham Palace to tour the Queen’s London residence and to see the wedding dress belonging to Catherine Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge. The Sarah Burton-designed gown was on display at the Palace for the duration of the Summer Opening.

Since 1993, the Palace has been opening its doors over the summer whilst the Queen is on her annual holiday in the Scottish Highlands. This year the Palace stayed open for 73 days, finally closing at the beginning of October.

Have you ever wondered where the money from the entrance fees for the Summer Opening goes to? If so, don’t worry because the £10 million proceeds go towards the upkeep of the Royal Collection, comprising of paintings, furniture and antiques collected by monarchs over the past 500 years and held in trust by the Queen on behalf of the nation.

Staff involved with this year’s Summer Opening said that the Royal Wedding Exhibition had been a huge success. The display was put together practically 3 months after Prince William and Catherine Middleton married and included the dress, tiara and shoes as well as part of the Wedding Cake and a replica bouquet.

If you’ve never visited Buckingham Palace on UK coach holidays then perhaps consider a London city break? You’ll not only be able to tour Buckingham Palace (if you take coach breaks during the Summer) but you can also see all the other fine attractions that this amazing city has to offer including The National Gallery, London Eye, Kew Gardens, Tower of London and so much more. Why not complete your visit with a trip to the West End and catch some of the hot new shows to grace the stage on London theatre breaks? Check out the full range of coach holidays on the Door2Tour.com website or give the team a call on 0845 956 9686 to find out more.