Buckingham Palace destruction of the Palace of Westminster by fire in 1834, William considered converting the palace into the new Houses of Parliament. Buckingham Palace finally became the principal royal residence in 1837, on the accession of Queen Victoria, who was the first monarch to reside there; her predecessor William IV had died before its completion. While the state rooms were a riot of gilt and colour, the necessities of the new palace were somewhat less luxurious. For one thing, it was reported the chimneys smoked so much that the fires had to be allowed to die down, and consequently the court
Elizabeth R: A Year in the Life of the Queen also depicted with her mother, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, on Derby Day at Epsom in the film. The film mostly received positive reviews, including those from the Queen herself. The Queen organized a party for the crew at Buckingham Palace after watching the film before its public broadcast. It gained the largest audience for a documentary in the history of British television and was watched by more than half of the British population in 1992. The film won an award. Robert Hardman of "the Spectator" argued that Antony Jay, the script writer, redefined the function of the British Monarch