Royal tourism: admissions to Royal Estate in the UK 2020-2021, by establishment

Windsor Castle and Frogmore House were the most popular of all the Royal Estate locations in the United Kingdom in 2020/2021. However, while this site received nearly 1.6 million paid visitors in 2019/2020, it welcomed just around 104 thousand visits in the following fiscal year due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As a result of the health crisis, the total number of admissions to the Royal Estate in the United Kingdom dropped by roughly 95 percent in 2020/2021 over the previous fiscal year.

Royal tourism in the UK

Prior to the pandemic, tourism associated with the British Royal Family was growing steadily. Income from ticket admissions to the Royal Estate amounted to roughly 50 million British pounds in 2019/2020, in addition to around 20 million British pounds in retail sales. The Royal Estate refers to British royal residences including palaces, castles, and houses owned or occupied by the British Monarchy. Only a selection of the estates are open to the public, and give access to the Royal Collection (works of art held by the Queen in right of the Crown and in trust for her successors and for the nation).

Can you visit the Queen?

The Queen’s official London residence, Buckingham Palace, is only open to visitors for a few months of the year, between July and October. This summer opening allows visitors to take a tour of the state rooms and tends to feature special exhibitions and displays of the Royal Collection. Having tea with the Queen and exploring her main residence, however, is sadly not included.