UK: Google offers virtual tour of Buckingham Palace

Google's Expedition programme has launched a virtual reality tour of the Buckingham Palace on 20 January, aimed particularly for schoolchildren who admire the "magical" building. Under the tour, online visitors will be able to peek inside Queen Elizabeth II's primary residence using a computer or mobile phone.

The tour was launched at an event in London amongst schoolchildren from east London. Referring to the programme's target audience, schoolchildren, Google Expedition's programme manager, Jennifer Holland, said: "We asked them, if you could go anywhere in the world where would you want to go and they replied -- Buckingham Palace."

The virtual tour was made possible after the Buckingham Palace opened its door to Google such that 360-degree photos could be taken of the different rooms. The virtual tour is viewable on the official British Monarchy YouTube channel; accessible either via a computer or 3D mobile phone.

The virtual tour project was jointly finished to completion with the help of the Royal Collection Trust. "For schoolchildren, Buckingham Palace is one of the most iconic, magical buildings in the world," said Jemima Rellie, director of content at the Trust, reported France 24 News.

Teachers can guide the schoolchildren through the 10-minute tour and highlight topics instead of a virtual tour guide. On the tour uploaded on the official British Monarchy YouTube channel, a virtual master of the house is seen welcoming the online audience followed by a curator, Anna Reynolds, who takes visitors through the different chambers. Also included in the virtual tour is a visit through a secret door, which the Queen usually uses to arrive at events held in the reception.

Earlier, Google launched a virtual tour of the Moon and Mars expanding on its Google Maps software built for Earth. Some of the features included in the new offering, include detailed photographs from Nasa backed with the option to explore further information on the celestial bodies.