King allows public to peek from royal balcony

When the public is invited in to see the view from the Buckingham Palace balcony for the first time next week, they will walk in the footsteps of the Royal family. Perhaps unexpectedly, those footsteps will take them past hundreds of gold dragons from floor to ceiling, a Buddha statue that blows incense through its mouth and all the way up to arguably the most famous net curtains in the world. Inside the Centre Room at the palace, opened up at the request of the King, a first cohort of visitors will be allowed to peer out at where crowds gather for jubilees, royal weddings and birthdays. There is just one thing missing from a true royal outing: the television in the corner, watched by the King and his family on major national occasions so they can take in the full view down The Mall. The television has been hidden away for the tour, but visitors will be able to see for themselves why it is needed: the Queen Victoria Memorial directly in front of the balcony blocks the view of crowd