With unprecedented access, interior designer and tastemaker Ashley Hicks reveals the splendour of the State Rooms of Buckingham Palace, home of Britain’s monarch since 1837. Hicks’s eye, following the fresh approach and innovative airings of his popular Instagram offerings, brings a vibrant take to the formal spaces, capturing the beautifully furnished rooms with treasures from the Royal Collection as well as classic furniture from England and France.

Starting at the Grand Staircase, Hicks leads us through the opulently decorated halls: the White Drawing Room, the Blue Drawing Room overlooking the palace gardens, the Ballroom with its enormous lead-crystal chandeliers, and the Throne Room. The long, skylighted Picture Gallery is hung with important works of art: pieces by Rembrandt, Rubens, Poussin, Van Dyck, and Canaletto. This intimate tour through the Buckingham Palace State Rooms is a necessary addition to the library of devotees of English architecture and decoration, exquisite decorative and fine arts, history, and one of the most famous and iconic monarchies in the world.