Buckingham Palace was bombed nine times during the course of the Second World War. The raids caused considerable damage to the Chapel and resulted in the destruction of the Northern Lodge, where a policeman was killed by flying debris. In August 1944, a V1 rocket, or ‘flying bomb’, landed in the grounds of the palace, shattering windows and destroying trees. King George VI and Queen Mary had been present in Buckingham Palace during a number of these air raids, including the one described so vividly in this letter at the height of the Blitz. The King wrote to Queen Mary the next day, adding, ‘The aircraft was seen flying along the Mall before dropping the bombs … It was most certainly a direct attack on B.P. to demolish it.’

Text adapted from Treasures from the Royal Archives, 2014.