Changing the Guard

Changing the Guard is the most famous free spectacle in London: the ceremony in which the soldiers protecting the sovereign's residences hand over duty to a new guard, accompanied by a military band. The King's Guard is usually mounted by one of the five regiments of Foot Guards — the Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards — in their scarlet tunics and tall bearskin caps, and the ceremony at Buckingham Palace is a precise, unhurried piece of military theatre that lasts around forty-five minutes. The new guard marches from Wellington Barracks along Birdcage Walk to the palace forecourt, while the old guard, joined by a detachment from St James's Palace along The Mall, waits to receive them; inside the railings, the guards exchange the palace keys symbolically and the band plays, often slipping in a film theme or pop song among the marches. The guard change at the palace begins at 11am on scheduled days. Crucially, it does not happen every day: the published pattern is Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with Sunday parades at an earlier time and specific dates varying month to month, and the ceremony is cancelled in very wet weather or for state events. The Household Division publishes the official calendar, and it is essential to check it before you go. It is free, but popular: the railings and the Victoria Memorial fill up well before 11am. For many visitors the better experience is watching the soldiers march, with the band, along Birdcage Walk or The Mall, where you can see them up close. Horse Guards Parade on Whitehall has its own daily mounted guard change by the Household Cavalry.

The Foot Guards have guarded the sovereign since the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, and the ceremony has taken place at Buckingham Palace since Queen Victoria moved her court there in 1837. Although the guardsmen are a ceremonial sight for visitors, they are serving soldiers of operational infantry regiments, and you can identify the regiment by the spacing of their tunic buttons and the colour of the plume on their bearskins. Windsor Castle has its own guard change, also published on the Household Division calendar, and the King's Life Guard at Horse Guards adds mounted cavalry in plumed helmets and breastplates.

Getting a good view: if you want the palace railings, arrive by 10am, earlier in summer. The Victoria Memorial steps opposite the palace give an elevated view but get crowded. Alternatively, stand along Birdcage Walk around 10.45am to see the new guard march past with the band, or on The Mall to see the St James's Palace detachment. Police manage the crowds and close some crossings during the ceremony, so position yourself before it starts. In bad weather the ceremony may be cancelled or the band may not play — the calendar is updated, so check that morning. Keep a close eye on belongings in the crowd.

Building the morning: walk through St James's Park — its lake, pelicans and views to the palace are among London's prettiest — before or after the ceremony. Buckingham Palace's State Rooms open to visitors for a limited summer season. The Churchill War Rooms, Westminster Abbey and Horse Guards Parade are all within ten minutes' walk, and the National Gallery is at the far end of The Mall through Admiralty Arch. A morning combining the guard, St James's Park and the Churchill War Rooms or the Abbey gives you royal and political London in a single sweep.