This is so cool! Queen Elizabeth‘s Buckingham Palace home is currently undergoing $460 million in renovations (yes, you read that right!) and while electricians were recently working on the property, they unearthed something awesome. According to the royal family’s official Twitter account, the workers found several artifacts under the Buckingham Palace flooring that date back to Queen Victoria’s reign.
“The building work uncovered pieces of history hidden beneath the floorboards at Buckingham Palace including this clipping from the Evening Standard newspaper, published in 1889,” one tweet, accompanied by two photos of the newspaper clippings, read. Another tweet revealed, “Also unearthed was a trio of vintage cigarettes packets.”
According to the Daily Mail, one of the newspaper articles was from Nov. 7, 1889. The cigarette boxes from brands Player’s Navy Cut, Woodbine, and Piccadilly, were also from the 19th century. It is believed that “the items were discarded by courtiers to Queen Victoria,” the publication revealed. Queen Victoria previously lived in Buckingham Palace with her husband, Prince Albert, during her reign from June 1837 to January 1901. She was, in fact, the first monarch to reside in the London Palace, which was built in 1703.
The royal family revealed in May 2017 that Buckingham Palace would be undergoing renovations for the next decade. “Buckingham Palace is one of the most iconic buildings in the world, and this program is designed to extend its working life by a further 50 years. On completion of the work, we’ll have a Palace fit for purpose until 2067,” the Master of the Queen’s Household, Tony Johnstone-Burt, said in a statement at the time.
“The program addresses parts of the structure you can’t see from the outside: the plumbing, electrics, and other essential building services which have gone six decades without a comprehensive upgrade,” he continued. According to the Daily Mail, workers will replace “ten miles of water pipes, 6,500 plug sockets, 500 pieces of sanitary ware (toilets, [sinks], and the like), and 20 miles of skirting board” during the home’s massive facelift. Though Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, won’t have to move out during the renovations, they will likely have to stay in different bedrooms from time to time. Fortunately, the Queen often spends weekends at Windsor Castle, her summers at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, and the holiday season at Sandringham House in Norfolk, England, so she’ll be just fine!
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