UK, Chapter 2: Changing of the Guard

Due to popular demand (read: two whole requests!), I have decided to write about the remainder of my trip to England. Since there was so much to see, it would be silly to stuff all of them into one blog post. Therefore, I have separated my trip into small parts, and will post each individually. 

This post will be about Buckingham Palace, and the Changing of the Guard.

Buckingham Palace is the 'official residence of the British monarch', according to Wikipedia. It was built more than 3 centuries ago, and structural additions have been made over the years, resulting in the imposing building we can see today.

I would love to tell you what's inside the Palace, as tourists are actually allowed inside. However, that is only when the Queen is not in. And unfortunately, she happened to be in residence when I visited, so I wasn't able to see what the inside of a palace looks like. Pity, eh? 

August is the month to go, to explore the place. But don't be too hopeful. You will only be allowed to see certain areas of the building. Probably the dullest parts. Like the dining room or kitchen...

And for all who'd like to know how to tell whether the Queen is in the Palace or not, just look for the flag above the Palace. If the flag is flying, it means she's in, and you can go have a chit-chat with her, provided you get past the Guards, of course..

The Palace is always guarded by the Queen's Guard. These are Foot Guards decked in full uniform, who have the dull job of standing in front of the Palace for hours on end. The Changing of the Guard is a ritual in which a new set of Guards arrives to relieve the old Guards who are on duty. This is a long process, done to the accompaniment of a band, and is now more of a tourist attraction than anything else.

The Changing of the Guard takes place at around 11.00am, but not daily. The seasons and weather conditions influence whether the Guard will change or not. Fortunately, my trip was in June, when the weather was fair, and I was able to observe nearly the whole ritual. I say 'nearly' because the place becomes far too crowded to see the entire thing. 

From what I saw, the Old Guard awaits the arrival of the New Guard in front of the Palace. The New Guard arrives, along with a Military Band, and the Palace keys are handed over from the Old Guard to the New (I did not see this, as the Band was blocking my view). The Band plays most of the time during this process, and then marches off with the Old Guard.

This may sound like a short process, but it isn't. There were two Bands facing each other, and each takes it in turn to play some music. There is a lot of marching about & issuing of orders in the background. All in all, spectators can expect a full 45 minutes of entertainment.

Once all this is done, two new Foot Guards are left as sentries, and they have the pleasure (or otherwise) of being stared at by hundreds of tourists.