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By CNN Royal Correspondent Max Foster, Billy Stockwell and Lauren Said-Moorhouse in London

Royal Collection Trust

Buckingham Palace's famous balcony room, where the monarch and other members of the royal family gather on special occasions before waving at cheering crowds in the streets below, is opening to the public for the first time.  
For royal fans who have waited for hours on The Mall in central London to get a glimpse of the clan as they make their brief balcony appearance during events such as Trooping the Colour, this could be an opportunity to see things from the royal perspective.  

Sadly, visitors will not be able to step out onto the balcony itself, so a peek through the net curtains will have to suffice. 

The 45-minute guided tours, running from July 15 to August 31, have already sold out, despite a hefty £75 (around $97) price tag. They follow more than five years of renovation work to the East Wing of Buckingham Palace, which aims to preserve and improve access to the historic building for future generations, according to the Royal Collection Trust.  

"Be one of the first visitors to enjoy an exclusive guided tour of the highlights of the East Wing of Buckingham Palace," the Royal Collection Trust says on its website, adding that visitors will get to discover the "spaces beyond the famous façade" of the palace.  

The wing's Centre Room, as the room behind the balcony is officially known, will probably be the most anticipated part of the guided tour. Last month, Catherine, Princess of Wales joined other royals on the balcony to celebrate the King's official birthday, in her first public appearance since being diagnosed with cancer. 

In the Centre Room, a lotus flower-shaped glass chandelier will be on display, alongside two 18th-century Chinese silk wall hangings, which were given to Queen Victoria by the Emperor of China to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee in 1897. In the Yellow Drawing Room, hand-painted Chinese wallpaper from the 18th century, as well as two Chinese porcelain pagodas, will be on display.

Royal Collection Trust

Visitors on the new tour will also be able to amble down the wing's main corridor and admire works by English painters Thomas Gainsborough and Thomas Lawrence and German painter Franz Xaver Winterhalter.    

The influence of Asian art on the interior design and displays of the East Wing can be traced to 1850, when the Brighton Pavilion,  a seaside residence owned by George IV -- Queen Victoria's uncle, was sold off to fund the building of the new royal wing.  

George IV's collection of Asian art and ceramics, which he had previously kept at the property on the south coast of England, was moved to the palace, where it remains to this day.  

 
Victoria and Prince Albert were the first royals to use Buckingham Palace as a family home, following their marriage in 1840. The East Wing was built shortly after, between 1847 and 1849, to accommodate their growing family.

Royal Collection Trust

Today, Buckingham Palace is mainly used for official meetings and events. Britain's new prime minister, Keir Starmer, recently met with King Charles III at the palace, where the King formally asked him to form a new government.  

The East Wing refurb is part of a much broader -- and more expensive -- renovation of the palace at large, which is expected to take 10 years. In the process, floorboards have been taken up, new elevators have been installed, and thousands of artworks and artifacts have been temporarily removed to allow the restoration work to get underway.  

With its £369 million budget ($478 million), the extensive program of works has left a dent in royal finances. Official figures showed that the royal household spent more money than it made in 2022-23, partly because of what it described as the "significant" renovation work at the palace.   

The East Wing tours are now fully booked for the summer, but if you're still wanting to check out the royal pad, tickets to visit Buckingham Palace's state rooms are still available, with tours running seven days a week until September 29. Tickets booked in advance for the state rooms tour cost £32 ($41) for adults and £16 ($21) for children between the ages of 5 and 17. 

King and Queen head to Wales.

Charles and Camilla visited the Welsh Parliament, the Senedd, in Cardiff on Thursday to mark 25 years since Welsh devolution. An honor guard of the Royal Welsh regiment was awaiting their arrival -- the King was appointed the regiment's Colonel-in-Chief on St. David's Day in March. The royal couple were then greeted by schoolchildren and civic leaders before meeting party and parliamentary leaders. "I pray that in the years to come, you will achieve even more, overcome even more challenges, and find even more causes for celebration," Charles said in a speech.

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Prince William: We can end homelessness.

The Prince of Wales has marked the first year of his Homewards project, a five-year initiative intended to demonstrate that homelessness can be eliminated. It has seen Homewards set up shop in six locations where it has been working with local partners on plans to tackle all forms of homelessness, as well as to revise public perceptions of rough sleeping. On Thursday, William returned to the London borough of Lambeth -- where he started the project 12 months ago --  bringing together representatives from the six locations as well as from neighboring towns. In a speech, he said homelessness was a "complex societal issue" but one that he believes "can be ended." He added: "Already, a pipeline of nearly 100 homes is being established through the innovative housing projects which will be developed in each location -- and believe me -- my ambitions alone mean there will be so many more!"

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Prince Harry received the 2024 Pat Tillman Award for Service at the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles Thursday amid a backlash prompted by the mother of the football player who gave up his NFL career after 9/11 to serve his country.
 
The honor has been bestowed on unsung heroes over the years in Tillman's name. He gave up a lucrative contract with the Arizona Cardinals to serve in the United States Army's elite Rangers force in Afghanistan, where he was killed in 2004.
 
However, the selection of the Duke of Sussex as recipient this year has come under scrutiny after Mary Tillman told the Daily Mail she was "shocked" by the choice when there are far "more fitting" recipients.
 
Organizer ESPN announced last month that Prince Harry would receive the award, citing "his tireless work in making a positive impact for the veteran community" through The Invictus Games Foundation, which he founded. 
 
An ESPN spokesperson said in a statement that Prince Harry was honored -- with the support of the Tillman Foundation -- "specifically for the work of The Invictus Games Foundation as it celebrates its 10th year promoting healing through the power of sport for military service members and veterans around the world."
 
Read more on this story here.

While we're talking about Prince Harry ... He has taken part in a new phone-hacking documentary from British broadcaster ITV. The Duke of Sussex sat down with the network's health correspondent, Rebecca Barry, who said on X that she was "excited" for audiences to see the program. "I interview Prince Harry -- plus others who found themselves catapulted onto the tabloid front pages," she wrote. The duke will reveal why he is fighting to uncover the alleged illegal activities of Britain's tabloid newspapers, according to ITV royal editor Chris Ship. Harry is one of several well-known faces to feature in the show, including actor Hugh Grant and singer Charlotte Church.

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Queen Camilla takes part in a Mexican wave to cheer on US tennis player Taylor Fritz and Italy's Lorenzo Musetti during their men's singles quarter-final on the 10th day of Wimbledon on Wednesday.

"If I may encourage you to secure victory before the need for any last minute wonder-goals or another penalties drama, I am sure the stresses on the nation's collective heart rate and blood pressure would be greatly alleviated!"

– King Charles

The monarch neatly echoed the sentiments of the nation in his congratulatory message to the England men's football team on reaching the Euro finals following their victory against the Netherlands on Thursday. England will play Spain on Sunday after a challenging route to the final.