The secret pool at Buckingham Palace is cold & small – the Queen never used it but Diana did, says former royal staffer
BUCKINGHAM Palace is instantly recognisable around the world – but did you know there is a secret pool inside?
The late Queen’s former press secretary Ailsa Anderson lifted the lid on what life was like behind palace walls as she appeared on The Times royal podcast.
And while having a pool in the palace may seem like a perk for many people, Ailsa wasn’t too impressed with it.
Kate Mansey, Royal Editor of The Times, asked Aisla: “Did you ever swim in the pool?”
Ailsa confirmed that she had, and when she was asked if was nice or basic, she replied: “Basic, yes.
“It’s really cold.”
And surprisingly for a grand palace, Ailsa also revealed on The Royals with Roya and Kate that it’s really small.
The former royal staffer claims the late Queen never used it, but “Diana did famously” and she presumed it was where Prince William and Prince Harry learned to swim in private.
Alisa said staff were able to book for a swim in the pool when royal family members weren’t present, and could also use other Buckingham Palace amenities too.
She added: “There’s the pool, there are tennis courts as well in the garden, so we used to book those as well in the evenings, play tennis.
“Lots of perks.”
Built for the Queen
The pool was commissioned by the late Queen’s father, King George VI in 1938.
Edna Healey writes in The Queen’s House: A Secret History of Buckingham Palace: “While they were still living at Piccadilly, the Princesses had been enjoying swimming lessons at the Bath Club and no one had taken much notice of the two little girls in their regulation swimming costumes.
“But now that Princess Elizabeth was heir to the throne they attracted too much attention.
“So in summer 1938 it was decided to build ‘a swimming bath and squash court on the north side of the Palace in one of Nash’s conservatories’.”
By 1939, the pool was completed after architect James Jack Roberts drew up plans.
The Daily Mail claimed: “When Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret Rose returned to Buckingham Palace with King George VI and Queen Elizabeth from Balmoral recently, they found a big surprise awaiting them in the Palace grounds.
“The surprise was a new swimming pool, which was specially constructed for the two little princesses so they may have their weekly swimming lessons next year at their own home.
“The pool will, it is hoped, be ready for the princesses to have their first swim in it in the spring. Princess Elizabeth, who has been having lessons for about three years, is already a fine swimmer and this year she passed with honours her test for a life-saving certificate.”
Who lives at Buckingham Palace?
BUCKINGHAM PALACE is one of the main and most important royal households with many operations going on that concern the country and how it's governed.
It’s home to some members of the Royal Family too while it being a London must-see.
Buckingham Palace is the London home to the UK sovereign, but in the case of King Charles III, he chose to keep residing in Clarence House.
There are major works going on in Buckingham Palace and that is one of the reasons why the King chose not to follow tradition.
The King and Queen Consort decided not to move into the Palace for at least five years as it’s undergoing a renovation that costs about £369million.
His mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II resided in Buckingham Palace with her family which included Prince Philip and their four children before they got married, King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.
However, she did spend time away from London and would visit Windsor Castle on weekends.
She also spent summers and the last few months of her life in Balmoral.
Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms that are all used for different functions.
There are 19 State rooms while there are 92 offices.
There are many bedrooms too, 52 being for royals and guests, with 188 left for staff.
During World War II a bomb fell close to the swimming pool as Buckingham Palace was hit in September 1940.
This meant that it had to be rebuilt, but was used for the Queen’s four children to learn to swim.
King Charles, when he was a boy, was said to use the pool to sail model boats.
His classmate Richard Alston, recalled to the Daily Mail: “We all made small model boats in woodwork and Charles invited us to the swimming pool at Buckingham Palace to sail them. “As we went to launch ours, he brought out his replica of the Britannia. Life was not fair at times.”
Years on, Charles’ first wife Princess Diana would bring William and Harry to the pool for a swim.
It has been claimed that Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis have all learned to swim in the secret pool.
Staff rules
Brian Hoey wrote in Not In Front of the Corgis: Secrets Of Life Behind The Royal Curtains: “The rule is that if a staff member is swimming and one of the Royals appears, they have to get out, unless invited to remain, which often happens.
“If when the staff member turns up a Royal is already in the pool, the servant, and this includes senior members such as the Private Secretary or Keeper of the Privy Purse, will not attempt to join them.”
King Charles no longer uses the pool, but he is said to try to keep it eco-friendly.
A source told The Times: “A few people using the pool have noticed that the temperature of the water has dropped, and it is quite a bit cooler than it used to be.
“They have been told the King has had the heating turned down.
“It is understood that Charles, a lifelong environmentalist renowned for his green campaigning, is keen to continue reducing the royal household’s energy use, an issue he has prioritised in recent years.”
Home cinema
The swimming pool isn’t the only Buckingham Palace luxury feature.
Just like an array of celebrities whose extravagant mansions boast an epic at-home cinemas, King Charles also has his own inside the palace.
Although it’s believed the royal family don’t make use of the space with it instead being used by the palace staff – lucky them.
BBC journalist Emily Maitlis previously revealed that she saw the cinema being set up in the south drawing room when she visited the palace to interview Prince Andrew.
Post office
It seems the Buckingham Palace just keeps on giving as it also boast it’s very own Post Office.
Just like many room and facilities on offer at the palace, all 800 palace staff can make use of the Court Post Office, which is run by Royal Mail.
While we can’t be certain of how it looks now, a snap from 1941 offers a sneak peak into what it was like all those years ago.
ATM machine
Luckily for the royal family, withdrawing cash in a hurry is no obstacle.
In 2001, the now-former head of Coutts bank, Gordon Pell, confirmed to The Standard that there is indeed an ATM inside Buckingham Palace.
But unlike many areas of the palace, it’s off limits to staff and is tucked away in the palace basement.