The London Traveler

“They’re changing the guard at Buckingham Palace

Christopher Robin went down with Alice” -

a couplet I’ll always remember from my bedtime story when I was a little girl. They’re still doing it, of course, and even if we Londoners tend to be a bit sniffy about this particular piece of our heritage, it remains one of those things you just have to do.

But to get the most out of it, you can’t just turn up. First of all, in winter – until the end of March – it’s only every other day. Over the summer, it will be daily. And it won’t happen at all if it’s really wet. Check the schedule on Changing-the-guard.com.

Secondly, don’t stand behind everybody else. The Changing of the Guard happens at 11.30, so if you want to be right at the front, turn up much earlier. Or take a different approach – go nearer to the Wellington Barracks and you’ll get a better view of the regiments marching out, though you won’t get such a good view of the actual guard changing.

Or, of course, you could give Buckingham Palace a miss altogether and head for the changing of the guard at Horse Guards, Whitehall (which happens at 11 o’clock, or 10 on Sundays).

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