The East Wing was designed by Edward Blore in the 1840s, under the guidance of Queen Victoria, who wanted to create more space to entertain guests and relax with her expanding family. The design included the central balcony on the Palace’s front façade (made famous at royal weddings and Trooping the Colour), which was originally suggested by Prince Albert.
Pride of place are the four Chinoiserie panels, commissioned by George IV and painted by Robert Jones for the Pavilion. One of these panels can be seen in the video of King Charles and Mark Carney, as can the monumental fireplace, which boasts two ornately carved pillars and a white dragon coiling off its centre.
Behind the two men is an antique-style table with dragons decorating the legs, upon which sit two porcelain bird statues and a small pot filled with purple and white flowers.
It seems as though the Chinese Dining Room has been redecorated in the East Wing overhaul that took place at Buckingham Palace between Spring 2019 and 2024. The carpeted floor has a different pattern, for one, and it looks like a number of the pieces have been moved. The Palace noted ahead of the renovations that 3,000 pieces from the Royal Collection were being moved from the Chinese Dining Room, with some returning to the Royal Pavilion.
The wallpaper in many of the rooms was removed due to the possibility of vibrating machinery damaging the delicate paper. As such, ‘Wallpaper Conservators’ were drafted in to remove it by hand. Allyson McDermott, one of the curators, says it could not have come at a better time, as the pieces are in desperate need of conservation due to their acidity.
