The Royal family. A constant source of intrigue and gossip, daubed daily across newspapers and magazines whether they like it or not. They have been the subject of a hugely successful Netflix series, perhaps you’ve heard of it? Is there another famous family that comes even close? The Kardashians perhaps? The Simpsons?
It is therefore, no wonder that the majority of visitors to London seem determined to catch a glimpse of the Queens’ home, BUCKINGHAM PALACE.
We could start by talking about how old it is, who built it and why but first let’s just answer the questions you really care about:
Yes, this is where the Queen lives
Yes, this is where the Changing of the Guard happens
No, you can’t pop inside to sip tea and munch scones. Unless you’re a Head of State or well . . you know . . the Queen
The front of the building facing the Mall where the Royal family famously wave, kiss and dangle babies is the newest part of the building with the oldest dating back to 1703. At last count, the Palace had 775 rooms in total with 19 staterooms, 240 bedrooms, 78 bathrooms, 92 offices, a cinema, swimming pool and a life-sized model of the Millennium Falcon. Alright, I admit it, I made one of those up. . .
If you want to know whether the Queen is at home or not there is one sure-fire way to find out. If this flag, the Union Flag of the United Kingdom is flying that means she’s out, probably popped to the shops for loo roll and tea bags.
If you see this flag, known as the Royal Standard, that tells you that she’s back from the shops with her feet up watching the blooper reel from her last Queens speech.
It is worth remembering that the Queen has residences across the country including Windsor Castle, Balmoral, and Sandringham so the odds of seeing her at Buckingham Palace are quite slim.
If you want to go inside the Palace you have two options: The Queen’s Gallery is open all year round so you can peer at a selection of paintings and nick-nacks. But if you really want to see the Palace itself, parts of it are open to the public for 10 weeks over the summer and you’d be wise to book in advance, follow the link here. However, the Queen generally heads elsewhere around this time so if you’re hoping to catch a glimpse of Her Majesty with her feet up playing Xbox then I wouldn’t hold your breath. . . she’s mainly into PlayStation these days.
Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace
There are few events in London that consistently draw bigger crowds than the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. Even after witnessing this countless times, when those soldiers march past with a full band playing its hard to resist marching in time. We could carp on about the different regiments and who they are but essentially, we are talking about those famous men in red tunics with the delightfully elaborate bearskin hats.
Before we go any further let me be perfectly clear that these guys are not messing around, they are real soldiers with real weapons, regularly deployed on active duty around the world so annoy them at your peril. You've probably seen one of those videos online of a hapless tourist trying to get a rise out of an armed soldier on duty outside the Palace. Don't be that guy, please. In recent years the guards have been withdrawn from locations where the public can get too close so there is less likelihood of “an incident”.
A detachment of soldiers makes their way from Wellington Barracks and St James’s Palace, they arrive at Buckingham Palace, the new regiment is inspected, the old regiment is relieved. The whole process lasts for just short of an hour if you include the journey the soldiers make between sites. Listen out for the music the band is playing, they have a wide repertoire and can often be heard cracking out anything from Star Wars to a bit of the Beatles.
If you really want to see the whole thing play out then I’d get there an hour in advance (yes I know that’s a long time) but the alternative will be showing your friends back home a series of beautiful photos of the back of some blokes head. For the timetable and events check the link here nearer the time but generally, the Changing of the Guard takes place every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 11 am.
Oh, and don’t bother turning up if it’s raining heavily, as it won’t be happening. Fair enough really, it must be hard to play the trombone if it's filling with water.
Comments