Queen's homes will all undergo similar modifications this weekend

The Queen's homes will all undergo similar modifications this weekend as the vast, and important, plan of action is revealed

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(Image credit: Getty)

The Queen's homes will all undergo similar modifications this weekend as the painstaking task that is changing every single one of the royal clocks is exposed. Ahead of the clocks going forward an hour, it will be all hands on deck for the bi-annual mission.


In Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Balmoral Castle, and every royal residence in-between—time is kept by very precious and historic clocks. Nope, it's not all digital in the halls of these residences, meaning that all of these chronometers need to be changed by hand.

Not just any old hands say the Royal Collection Trust, whose team of experts will spend over 40 hours this weekend as the clocks go forward and British Summer Time officially begins.

Queen Elizabeth II is shown items from the George III Collection pertaining to science and the Arts, including the 1765 Eardley Norton clock (R) by Royal Librarian Oliver Urquhart Irvine (L) while attending the launch of the George III Project at an event held in the Royal Library in Windsor Castle on April 1, 2015 in Windsor, England.

(Image credit: Jonathan Brady - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

The biannual event sees the experts, known as 'Horological Conservators,' work together to get the job done. According to the Royal Collection Trust, these individuals will, "work through the weekend to adjust the clocks, including 450 timepieces at Windsor Castle, 600 at Buckingham Palace and 50 at the Palace of Holyroodhouse."

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of England relax at home in Buckingham Palace. These pictures were taken specially to mark the occasion of their silver wedding anniversary.

(Image credit: © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

As one might expect, the Royal Collection is home to some of the most valuable clocks in the world. Clocks that tell a lot more than the time.

The RCT explains, "they reflect mechanical innovation over the centuries and the tastes of successive monarchs," and include, "musical clocks, astronomical clocks, miniature clocks, and turret clocks."

Queen Elizabeth II watches her horse 'Sparkler' compete in the Flat Ridden Sport Horse class on day 1 of the Royal Windsor Horse Show in Home Park on May 9, 2018 in Windsor, England. This year marks the 75th Anniversary of the Windsor Horse Show which was first held in 1943. s

(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Image)

Although it's unclear if Her Majesty has a keen interest in these historical timepieces, she's certainly proven herself to be knowledgeable in other niche topics. This was proven when the Queen's nerdy trick was unveiled to unsuspecting lunch guests.

Aoife Hanna
Junior News Editor

Aoife is an Irish journalist and writer with a background in creative writing, comedy, and TV production.

Formerly woman&home's junior news editor and a contributing writer at Bustle, her words can be found in the Metro, Huffpost, Delicious, Imperica and EVOKE.

Her poetry features in the Queer Life, Queer Love anthology.

Outside of work you might bump into her at a garden center, charity shop, yoga studio, lifting heavy weights, or (most likely) supping/eating some sort of delicious drink/meal.