Buckingham Palace has opened new accessible lifts and a front-of-building ramp as part of the Reservicing Programme, the decade-long overhaul of the palace's essential services that began in April 2017 and is due to finish in 2027. The Royal Family announced the milestone on its official X account, describing the work as a series of accessibility improvements carried out since the programme's launch (Hello!).

The announcement came with a video featuring David Bonnett, OBE, an accessibility advocate who was brought in to conduct an Access Audit of the palace in 2018. Bonnett said the palace incorporated many of his recommendations and described the result as "exemplary," setting a new standard for buildings of that scale (Hello!).

The changes go beyond lifts. The palace has increased its number of toilets by 50 per cent, added more accessible toilets, and installed a Changing Places facility — a type of toilet designed for people with profound and multiple disabilities who need a hoist and a bench. A ramp at the front of the palace now provides wheelchair access to the principal entrance (Hello!).

The Reservicing Programme — a ten-year project to update the wiring, plumbing, and other essential services of one of the UK's most famous buildings (royal.uk) — has authorised and contracted commitments totalling £52.6 million as of 31 March 2026, according to the Sovereign Grant summary (royal.uk). The wider Sovereign Grant — the annual payment funded from a set percentage of Crown Estate profits — will rise to £137.9 million for 2026–27. Of the originally agreed £369 million reservicing budget, £40 million is to be spent by the end of 2026–27 (Sovereign Grant Annual Report).

The programme has already delivered major milestones. In 2024, it marked its seventh year with the reopening of the East Wing (British Monarchy Facebook). The summary report for the programme states that the renovations will bring a significant increase in visitor numbers, with a renewed focus on education and the history of the monarchy (royal.uk).

Members of the public can already visit the palace from July to September each year, with additional limited tours in December, January, and at Easter (royal.uk). Once the programme completes in 2027, the improved accessibility and expanded visitor facilities should make those openings available to a far wider range of people.

King Charles, however, will not be moving in. Officials confirmed in June 2026 that the King will not live at Buckingham Palace after the refurbishment finishes, continuing to base himself at other royal residences (Reuters).

What makes these changes stand out is how quietly practical they are. A 19th-century palace built for ceremony is being fitted with the kind of infrastructure — lifts, ramps, Changing Places toilets — that most modern public buildings are still scrambling to install. For visitors who use a wheelchair or care for someone with complex needs, a summer trip to the State Rooms is, on paper at least, a far more straightforward proposition than it was a decade ago. The programme still has a year to run, and the full picture will emerge when the work is signed off in 2027.