New Royal website launched

The new site is the first upgrade in over eight years and will be fully compatible with all mobile devices. This is particularly important in communicating with the Commonwealth, where nearly 60% of the population is under the age of 30 and mobile communication is predominant.

Renamed 'The home of the Royal Family', the royal.uk site will incorporate and embed social media and video, which play an increasing role in engaging the public in the role and public work of The Queen and the Royal Family. The site is highly visual rather than text-led like the current Monarchy website. Layers of information sit within navigation blocks that flow in to create rolling infinity pages.

One of the principal innovations is to make the search facility far simpler, in order to encourage users to explore more of the site. While there will still be a menu, a search box on the main site will be the primary form of navigation. 

The new site will feature news and information about the work of the Royal Family; encyclopaedia-style content on the history and traditions of the Monarchy and information about Royal residences and art collections. The website has been designed by leading digital agency Reading Room after a competitive tender.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said:

"The public expect to be able to engage with the role and work of The Queen and the Royal Family in ways they are familiar with. The new royal.uk site is more flexible in terms of accessibility, visually engaging in its appeal, easier to navigate and search, and is more interactive. It is also much easier to update regularly with content from numerous sources including charities and members of the public who benefit from their work."

On average over 12 million people globally visit the current Royal website each year.

Notes for Editors 

The Royal Household will launch the beta version of the new website representing the Royal Family and the institution of Monarchy on the evening of 7 April 2016. The site will be accessible at www.royal.uk.

The site will then formally launch next week, and replace the current 'Official website of the British Monarchy' at www.royal.gov.uk, which was launched in 2008.