Queen Bee

If you’re visiting London this summer, Queen Elizabeth’s staff want to show you that the glamour demands grit.

“The Queen goes to Scotland every summer and that’s when we can open Buckingham Palace to visitors,” says Stephen Weber, an art expert from Dallas who helps curate the Queen’s pictures.

“Usually the palace is simply too busy to open to the public.”

Buckingham Palace is by far the grandest family home most people will ever see.

But as you marvel at the throne room and the paintings and treasures from centuries past, here is evidence of a worker with a hectic schedule.

In 2009, Queen Elizabeth carried out about 430 public engagements. She speaks to schoolchildren, meets visiting heads of state, follows church work and that of the military units and 620 charities that she heads. She receives 200-300 letters a day and reads all government papers submitted for her signature.

This is a heavy workload for any 84-year-old.

The price of a tour of Buckingham Palace this summer is 22 dollars. That includes the garden. Good value, some will say.

And will they think the same of the Queen?

At a time of government spending cuts, the royal household wants to be seen as cost-effective.

One display shows some of the royal robes, uniforms and treasures that are familiar from television. Up close they speak of hard work.

Queen Elizabeth does not have to deal with all the administrative responsibilities of the White House. But she still does the work of a head of state.