Royal Pavilion, Brighton, England 14 Dec 2025

No, we"re not in "Arabian Nights"—but the Royal Pavilion in Brighton makes you wonder whether someone accidentally dropped a palace from a far-off fairy tale onto the Sussex shoreline. The Prince of Wales (later George IV) came to Brighton for sea air, but he didn"t just want a quiet retreat—he wanted a statement. With architect John Nash, he turned a modest villa into a grand palace full of domes and minarets. Step inside, and you"ll find dragons curling across ceilings, chandeliers blooming like lotus flowers and the wallpaper leaning heavily into the decorative style of Chinoiserie. The Banqueting Room feels like it"s always ready for a performance.

© by Andrea Pucci/Moment/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

On the edge
14 Dec 2023Boreal owl
14 Dec 2024Christmas Bird Count turns 125

More Desktop Wallpapers:

29 Apr 2025Garden at Château de Villandry, Loire Valley, France
18 Dec 2025Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, United States
Stunning symmetry
A magical resting place
1 Nov 2025Peña Roya beech forest, Moncayo Natural Park, Aragon, Spain
28 Dec 202350 years of the Endangered Species Act
1 Dec 2024Antarctica Day
4 Feb 2025Golden Bridge, Bà Nà Hills, Da Nang, Vietnam
Lighting the way
5 Nov 2025Guy Fawkes Night
8 Mar 2024International Womens Day
Clouds dance above Sundance
Big rocks, big heads
13 Jul 2024International Rock Day
2 Feb 2024Six Nations Championship
17 Oct 2025Rock River Falls, Upper Peninsula, Michigan, United States
31 Aug 2025Scotts Bluff National Monument, Gering, Nebraska, United States
Aug 31, 2023Saguaro cacti, Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona
8 Feb 2024Mount Hood, Oregon, USA
24 Aug 2024Notting Hill Carnival
19 Jul 2024A young jaguar on a riverbank, Pantanal, Brazil
26 Jul 2024Summer Olympics begin in Paris
9 Jul 2025Independence Day of the Argentine Republic
6 Feb 2025Waitangi Day in New Zealand
22 Jan 2025Ad-Deir, Petra, Jordan
Halfway there
29 Mar 2025Superbloom in Carrizo Plain National Monument, California, United States
1 Jun 2025World Reef Awareness Day
1 Mar 2025Saint Davids Day
Puffins pucker up