Royal London

The palaces and the parades, and the places where the last hundred years of the story happened: where Elizabeth II was born, where Diana lived, where the balcony is. Filter by monarch or by kind.

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Changing the Guard

The bearskins and the band on the palace forecourt, three mornings a week, for the price of standing at the railings.

CeremonyFree

Photo by Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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The King's Guard, drawn from the five regiments of Foot Guards in scarlet and bearskins - or from a visiting unit, which is when the Gurkhas or the Navy appear - marches from Wellington Barracks with a band and hands over the palace in a forty-five-minute drill of shouted orders and presented arms. It is the most watched piece of royal ceremony there is, free, and best seen from the Victoria Memorial steps or the railings by ten-thirty. St James's Palace has its own smaller change in Friary Court beforehand, which is less crowded and closer.

Where
Buckingham Palace forecourt, SW1A 1AA
Nearest station
Victoria · 6 min walk

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11:00; extra days in summer and for events

The new guard leaves Wellington Barracks at 10:45; the forecourt railings are the view. Check the Household Division calendar, which changes with the weather and state visits.

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Data is compiled from public sources including OpenStreetMap, under the ODbL. Hours change often, so check before making a journey.

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