Editing Palace of Westminster (section)

==== Royal Gallery ====
[[File:Royal Gallery, Palace of Westminster.jpg|thumb|left|Following the rapid decay of Maclise's first two frescoes, the rest of the Royal Gallery's walls were left unpainted.]]
Immediately north of the Robing Room is the Royal Gallery. At {{Convert|33.5|by|13.7|m|ft}}, it is one of the largest rooms in the palace.<ref name="Factsheet G11" /> Its main purpose is to serve as the stage of the [[State Procession at the UK Opening of Parliament|royal procession]] at State Openings of Parliament, which the audience watch from temporary tiered seating on both sides of the route.<ref>[[#Quinault|Quinault (1992)]], pp. 84–85.</ref> It has also been used on occasion by visiting statesmen from abroad when [[List of people who have addressed both Houses of the United Kingdom Parliament|addressing both Houses of Parliament]], as well as for receptions in honour of foreign dignitaries,<ref name="Royal Gallery">{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/architecture/palace-s-interiors/royal-gallery/ |title=Architecture of the Palace: The Royal Gallery |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref> and more regularly for the Lord Chancellor's Breakfast;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/occasions/lcbreakfast/ |title=Lord Chancellor's breakfast |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref> in the past it was the theatre of several trials of peers by the House of Lords.<ref name="Royal Gallery" /><ref>[[#Guide|''Guide to the Palace of Westminster'']], p. 29.</ref> Documents from the Parliamentary Archives are on display in the Royal Gallery (including a facsimile of [[Charles I of England|Charles&nbsp;I]]'s death warrant), and the tables and seating offer a workspace for members of the Lords that is conveniently close to their debating chamber.<ref name="Lords Route tour" />
[[File:The Royal Gallery House of Lords, (interior, London, England) LCCN2002699877.tif|thumb|Historical image of the Royal Gallery]]
The decorative scheme of the Royal Gallery was meant to display important moments in British military history, and the walls are decorated by two large paintings by [[Daniel Maclise]], each measuring {{Convert|13.7|by|3.7|m|ft}}: ''[[The Death of Nelson (Maclise painting)|The Death of Nelson]]'' (depicting [[Lord Nelson]]'s demise at the [[Battle of Trafalgar]] in 1805) and ''[[The Meeting of Wellington and Blücher after the Battle of Waterloo]]'' (showing the [[Duke of Wellington]] meeting [[Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher]] at the [[Battle of Waterloo]] in 1815).<ref name="Lords Route tour" /> The murals deteriorated rapidly after their completion due to a range of factors, most importantly atmospheric pollution, and today they are almost monochrome, although a finished study of ''The Death of Nelson'' in better condition hangs in the [[Walker Art Gallery]], [[Liverpool]].<ref name="Field, p. 192" /> The rest of the planned frescos were cancelled, and the walls are filled with portraits of kings and queens from [[George I of Great Britain|George&nbsp;I]] onwards.<ref>[[#Wilson|Wilson (2005)]], pp. 8, 10–11.</ref> Another decorative element with military undertones are the eight statues of gilded [[Caen stone]] that flank the three doorways and the bay window of the Gallery, sculpted by [[John Birnie Philip]]. Each depicts a monarch during whose reign a key battle or war took place.<ref name="Lords Route tour" /> They are: [[Alfred the Great]] and [[William the Conqueror]]; [[Richard I]] and [[Edward III]]; [[Henry V of England|Henry V]] and [[Elizabeth I]]; [[William III of England|William III]] and [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Anne]]. The panelled ceiling, {{Convert|13.7|m|ft}} above the floor,<ref name="Factsheet G11" /> features [[Tudor rose]]s and lions, and the stained-glass windows show the coats of arms of the Kings of England and Scotland.<ref name="Royal Gallery" />