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Queen Elizabeth II's royal palaces will reopen to the public this month—but may still miss out on millions of U.S. visitors.
Parts of Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Holyroodhouse will begin accepting visitors from July 23.
The news comes just a day after the Royal Collection Trust, which manages the royal residences and galleries, announced a predicted $37 million loss with mass layoffs looming.
Around 3.1 million Americans visited the royal landmarks between 2018 and 2019, including 1.6 million to Windsor Castle alone.
However, any U.S. visitors to the U.K. are currently required to quarantine for two weeks on arrival, meaning tourists may still miss out.
The state rooms at Buckingham Palace, visited by an estimated 552,000 Americans between 2018 and 2019, will remain closed for the summer.
The trust said on Twitter: "We're reopening! We're delighted that from 23 July we'll welcome visitors back to Windsor Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Royal Mews & The Queen's Galleries in London & Edinburgh.
"Advance booking is essential.
"We can't wait to welcome you back to The Queen's Palaces from 23 July.
"As you'd expect we've made some changes to help you stay safe when you visit.
"We only have a limited number of tickets available and we're spreading them out with arrival times through the day.
"Book online to guarantee entry."
For any visitors who do make it, hand sanitizer, perspex screens and one way systems around the attractions will be a new feature to help fight the virus.
Visit Britain statistics suggest 4.5 million U.S. tourists traveled to the U.K. in 2019, spending $5.3 billion.
The trust said on Twitter: "If you don't feel like heading out just yet, you can view virtual tours of our past exhibitions and 360° views of the State Rooms at the royal residences on our website."
Yesterday they said in a statement: "The Covid-19 pandemic has posed by far the greatest challenge to Royal Collection Trust in the charity's history.
"The closure to the public of Windsor Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace, and The Queen's Galleries in London and Edinburgh has had a very significant and serious impact on our finances, as we are entirely funded by visitor income from admissions and related retail sales.
"In the short term, the impact has been significant.
"Income expectations for the financial year have been revised from the £77 million originally forecast to around £13 million.
"Based on current cost assumptions, it is estimated that Royal Collection Trust will incur a loss of £30 million by the end of 2020/21."
About the writer
Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more