The Changing of the Guard

Changing of the guard outside Buckingham Palace, Belgravia, Co. Greater London

One of the essential London tourist attractions, the Changing of the Guard, is a display of military pomp that is famed throughout the world, drawing huge crowds to watch the march of the red-coated guards of Buckingham Palace amid the constant flash of lightbulbs.

Outside Buckingham Palace

The Changing of the Guard takes place in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace at 11.30am each day in the summer and alternate days in winter. The Foot Guards of the Royal Household change in a rich colourful pageantry of crimson coats and bearskin hats with the New Guard marching in and the Old Guard marching out accompanied by a military band (weather permitting). The ceremony lasts about 25 minutes and is watched by huge crowds so it is advisable to get by the Palace gates for 10.30am for a good spot.

The ceremonial highlight of the Royal calendar is the Trooping of the Colour, marking the Sovereign’s official birthday in June. The Queen’s real birthday is 21 April but the Trooping of the Colour is a spectacle of military pomp and pageantry that dates back to 1748 in which the Queen leads her Horse Guards up the tree lined streets of the Mall, with Admiralty Arch in the background up to Buckingham Palace, followed by a flyover by the Royal Air Force.

Tube Station: St James’s Park, Hyde Park Corner, Victoria.