Watch the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace
Excerpt from the book On a Tall Budget and Short Attention Span from the Teresa the Traveler Series.
I sprung out of bed on my third day eager to watch Britain’s most famous tourist attraction: the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. In 1837, Queen Victoria moved the official royal residence from St. James Palace (which is still a working palace) to Buckingham Palace. However, the troops remained, therefore everyday a detachment was, and still is, marched up from St. James Palace to replace those guarding Buckingham Palace
The square in front of the palace was buzzing with people so I scouted out the perfect viewing spot with the help of a friendly policeman. Then I waited, I’d like to say patiently but hello, have you met me?
When 11:00 am finally rolled around the elaborate ceremony began. Led by the Corps of Drums, the St. James Palace detachment of the Queen’s Guard marched along the Mall to Buckingham Palace while the Buckingham Palace detachment got into formation and awaited their arrival. These two detachments formed the Old Guard who were about to be relieved of their duties by the New Guard.
They were sporting their regimental colors, as opposed to the Queen’s Colors, because apparently the Queen had not yet been notified of my arrival in London and was away from her palace After getting into formation, the New Guard, who was accompanied by a full military band, passed inspection by the Adjutant at the nearby Wellington Barracks then marched into the forecourt of Buckingham Palace.
I sprung out of bed on my third day eager to watch Britain’s most famous tourist attraction: the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. In 1837, Queen Victoria moved the official royal residence from St. James Palace (which is still a working palace) to Buckingham Palace. However, the troops remained, therefore everyday a detachment was, and still is, marched up from St. James Palace to replace those guarding Buckingham Palace
The square in front of the palace was buzzing with people so I scouted out the perfect viewing spot with the help of a friendly policeman. Then I waited, I’d like to say patiently but hello, have you met me?
When 11:00 am finally rolled around the elaborate ceremony began. Led by the Corps of Drums, the St. James Palace detachment of the Queen’s Guard marched along the Mall to Buckingham Palace while the Buckingham Palace detachment got into formation and awaited their arrival. These two detachments formed the Old Guard who were about to be relieved of their duties by the New Guard.
They were sporting their regimental colors, as opposed to the Queen’s Colors, because apparently the Queen had not yet been notified of my arrival in London and was away from her palace After getting into formation, the New Guard, who was accompanied by a full military band, passed inspection by the Adjutant at the nearby Wellington Barracks then marched into the forecourt of Buckingham Palace.
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The New Guard then ceremoniously advanced towards the Old Guard and after presenting each other with arms (firearms that is) the Captains of the Guards marched towards each other and the Old Guard handed the New Guard the palace keys. Afterwards, the New Guard marched to the guardrooms of Buckingham Palace and St. James Palace where new sentries were posted and the Old Guard marched to Wellington Barracks, led by the marching band, and went for a beer. Okay, I’m not positive about that last part, but I think one can safely assume many of the young men did.
When I discovered I could visit the palace State Rooms which are only open from July 30th to September 27th I did just that. After purchasing my ticket and clearing security, I was issued an audio guide and sent on my way. Much to my disappointment, pictures and video were not allowed inside the palace. That sucked – so much for having my picture taken on the Royal throne! Buckingham Palace, originally known as Buckingham House, was built in 1703 as a large townhouse for the Duke of Buckingham. It was acquired by George III in 1761 and underwent a number of additions over the next 75 years. After the accession of Queen Victoria, it became the official royal palace of the British monarch. It has 775 rooms including 19 State rooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. The state rooms, considered the nucleus of the Palace, are used regularly by the Royal family for official and state entertaining. In fact, over 50,000 people visit the Palace each year to attend banquets, lunches, dinners, receptions and garden parties. Two of the more important state rooms are the Throne Room and the Victorian Ballroom. The Throne room is where the Queen and Prince Philip sit on their official thrones (a fancy chair used by royalty to look important) during ceremonies and official entertaining. This room was once used for debutante parties (the presentation of aristocratic girls to the monarch) but that was abolished in 1958. Apparently the late Princess Margaret said,“We had to put a stop to it, every tart in London was getting in”. I guess they only wanted certain tarts at the parties. Today the Throne Room is used for the reception of formal addresses like the ones given to the Queen on her Jubilees and for formal portraits of the Royal family. The Victorian Ballroom, built in 1854 and measuring 123 by 60 feet, is the largest room in the palace. This is where knights are knighted and state banquets take place. On the first evening of a state visit by a visiting Head of State, around 150 guests get gussied up and dine off gold plates. The largest and most formal of these shindigs takes place in November when the Queen entertains members of the Foreign Diplomatic Corps Residence in London. For tips on visiting England CLICK HERE
For tips on visiting Europe CLICK HERE For general travel tips on what to pack and how to plan ahead CLICK HERE For tips on travelling on a budget CLICK HERE |
The changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace
The backyard of Buckingham Palace
The British Royal Family
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Where I Stayed...
Easton Hotel 36-40 Belgrave Road, Victoria London, England Tel: 020 7834 5938 Fax: 020 7976 6560 hoteleaston@aol.com 
To book this hotel CLICK HERE
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How to Get There - Fly into Heathrow Airport then take the underground to Victoria Station and walk to Buckingham Palace
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