Baku, March 13 (AZERTAC). The Queen will entertain Olympics dignitaries at Buckingham Palace while it is closed to members of the public.

With a unique exhibition to celebrate the Queen`s Diamond Jubilee, officials hoped that a record number of visitors would flock to Buckingham Palace this year. Mandrake can disclose that the Queen has, however, had to shut the palace to the public for three of the most lucrative weeks of the summer opening because of the London Olympics.

“Buckingham Palace will be closed during the Olympics,” confirms a spokesman for the Royal Collection. “During this time, the Queen will be hosting a number of events.”

With a characteristic sense of duty, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have agreed to entertain visiting dignitaries and officials at their London residence. Receptions will be held in state rooms that would normally be open to the public during July.

Security concerns are understood to have ruled out the possibility of members of the public being allowed to visit at the same time as foreign officials are being entertained.

A source at the Royal Collection, the charity which manages the Queen`s art collection, says there is disappointment that the Olympics are preventing the palace from capitalising on the wide appeal of the Diamond Jubilee.

“Visitor figures were staggering last year and we were hopeful that we could build on that success this year, with the influx of tourists expected in London,” I am told. “Even though the season is being extended at either end of the opening, it will be extremely hard to make up for the loss of those peak weeks.”

It is not clear if the Royal Collection will receive any compensation from the Government.

An exhibition which included the Duchess of Cambridge`s wedding dress, designed by Sarah Burton, helped to attract a record number of visitors to the palace last year. More than 600,000 members of the public passed through its doors.

The £10 million proceeds from the summer opening are increasingly important in helping to pay for the upkeep of the Royal Collection, which is comprised of paintings, furniture and antiques collected by monarchs over the past 500 years. It is held in trust by the Queen on behalf of the nation.

This year, it is holding an unprecedented exhibition of the Queen`s diamonds to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Queen`s accession to the throne. It will include a display of some of the Sovereign`s personal jewels.

The palace has been opening its doors over the summer, while the Queen is in Balmoral, since 1993. The Queen`s Gallery, a display of items from the Royal Collection, was opened at the palace in 1962 at Prince Philip`s suggestion.

Buckingham Palace will be open to the public from June 30 to July 8. It will then close for three weeks before reopening on July 31 until October 7.