Buckingham Palace workers find decades-old items under floorboards

Workers at Buckingham Palace have uncovered a collection of forgotten everyday items from past decades hidden beneath floorboards during a major renovation project. The discoveries, which include a 1949 whist drive ticket and a 1977 reception schedule, offer a rare glimpse into the lives of staff who worked behind the scenes at the royal residence. The finds were made as part of a £370 million reservicing project that began in 2017 and is due for completion next year. The work is focused on rewiring the palace's electrics, upgrading plumbing and heating, and overhauling its infrastructure to prevent long-term damage. As part of this effort, approximately 2km of Vulcanised Indian Rubber (VIR) cabling, which posed a significant fire risk, has been replaced. Among the most notable items is a ticket for a Royal Household Social Club whist drive, dated 14 April 1949. The ticket, priced at sixpence, was found embedded in a lump of building rock. At the time, Queen Elizabeth II was still Princess Elizabeth, married to Prince Philip for less than 18 months, and their eldest son, the now-King Charles, was only five months old.