I must have walked past this parade a million billion times in my life but I've only stopped to watch the whole thing from start to finish twice. This is my third time today. The reason I don't do it more often is because I'm a Londoner, so luckily I don't have to. We leave it to the tourists.
If you want to know what the final five minutes of Armageddon is going to look like with everyone crushed up against the Pearly Gates with their heads wedged between the metal bars trying to squeeze inside, then check it out.
Photo: londondrum.comThe main ceremony begins at 11 AM on the Buckingham Palace forecourt (with a few preliminaries from 10:45) but I've decided to play it super-safe today and arrive at 9 AM. And believe it or not there are even some people waiting now. Half of the front railing has been occupied already, so heaven knows what time they arrived.
Best place to stand to see the ceremony
If you want a perfect spot then try and stand to the left of the central gate (they always seem to dump their music stands on the right, which will mess up your photos). But don't stand directly in front of the gate because the soldiers are going to be marching through that later, and the police will move you on.
Photo: londondrum.comThere's hardly anything to see this early on, just a couple of soldiers in their sentry boxes and a machine gun copper eyeing up the crowd. You can have a good look at the windows and see if anyone's visible in the palace, but I can't see any movement this morning. I was hoping the King might poke his nose through the net curtains, but nope. The Royal Standard is flying on the flagpole so he's definitely home. Maybe he's still in bed.
Photo: londondrum.comBy 9:20 AM all of the railing spaces have gone and by 9:40 it's already three or four people deep, so if you're hoping to waltz up thirty minutes before it starts and still get a good spot by the gate then trust me, you've got no chance. By 10 AM you may as well forget it because it's like a football crowd packed in behind the goal.
If you do arrive later then there are still a few vantage spots you can try where you'll see at least see a part of the parade. Standing on the steps of the Queen Victoria Memorial is the best one. Failing that, you could stand on the linking road between Birdcage Walk and the Queen Victoria Memorial because then you'll see the soldiers march straight past you on their way from Wellington Barracks (but even these spots will become jam-packed by 10 AM).
Photo: londondrum.comThe next hour in the crowd isn't much fun because everybody is trying to pinch an inch of space with their elbows, big feet, umbrellas and bags. You have to be super tough now. Don't let anyone in because you'll never get them out again. I once had somebody politely enquire whether they could nip in for five-seconds to take a photo and then totally refuse to move. Little kids squeeze in to the side of you and then tug their big parents in behind. You'll have a whole hour of these games and it will really test your mettle. You'll have to count to ten at least a hundred times. You'll have to smile when you really mean to swear.
I don't mean to put you off, because I appreciate that this is probably something that you really want to do, but if you can't arrive early enough for a space at the front then it's basically a waste of time -- especially if you've got kids. They'll just be staring at people's backs and bags for an hour. And if you hoist them up onto your shoulders you'll have everybody tut-tutting at you from behind.
The crowd is really huge now and everyone is chatting excitedly. Every few minutes a photoflash goes off as somebody snaps a shot of the sentry box, and every time a soldier moves a bank of cameras comes out like we're the paparazzi.
The changeover ceremony
Photo: londondrum.comAt 10:45 AM I can hear some distant music coming from the direction of the Mall. It quickly turns into deep drums and they must be getting closer. It's a rolling, pounding sound that's getting louder and louder... the soldiers are coming. The army is advancing! They are marching into battle with their trumpets and drums. I must admit that this is quite exciting now. All of that waiting around has suddenly become worthwhile.
Wherever you decide to stand you won't be able to see the entire parade because the soldiers start their march from two different places. Some of them will march down the Mall from St. James's Palace (at 10:43 AM), whilst a second set will march along Birdcage Walk from Wellington Barracks (at 10:57 AM).
They will then skirt the Queen Victoria Memorial before entering the palace forecourt through one of the three front gates (that's why you shouldn't stand in front of a gate, because you'll get moved on by the police). Once they're inside the forecourt they'll shuffle into tidy lines and get shouted at by the sergeant.
Photo: londondrum.comSoldiers marching on the forecourt
The main ceremony begins at 11 AM once all of the soldiers have assembled on the forecourt. If you're standing away from the railings then you won't be able to see any of this bit, but don't disappear because you'll be able to watch them march back out again from 11:10 onwards.
Photo: londondrum.comIt's very hard to make out what the sergeant is saying because he's shouting (almost screaming!) at the soldiers through his chinstrap, but he has them do some acrobatics with their guns and slow marches them into position. Then the actual changeover will take place, and for the next twenty minutes you can enjoy some military music whilst groups of soldiers march around in the background.
Photo: londondrum.comBy 11:40 PM all of the soldiers will have marched out of the central gate and headed back towards Wellington Barracks or St. James's Palace, and you'll have to stand there for another five minutes listening to the military bands disappearing down the Mall as you wait for the crowd to dissipate.
Photo: londondrum.comSo here's the million dollar question: is it worth watching?; I think it depends on how much time you've got. I know it's only a thirty minute parade, but you really need to devote a couple of hours to it and be prepared to stand around doing nothing for an hour and a half. If you're planning on visiting another attraction in the morning and then nipping down to the palace at 11 AM then trust me, that's a complete waste of time. You'll be able to see the soldiers marching down the Mall, but you won't be able to watch any of the actual ceremony on the forecourt.
Photo: londondrum.comYou've got to remember that most attractions don't even open until 10 AM, so if you rush that attraction in 45 minutes and then run down to Buckingham Palace you'll still be 90 minutes too late for a decent spot.
But I'm a Londoner, of course, and I've seen this thing before, whereas this might be your one and only opportunity. So let me just leave you with one warning: it's busy. Very busy. A lot busier than you'd ever expect. And probably even busier than that.
If you enjoy Buckingham Palace then you might like to visit Clarence House (you can walk it in 6 mins), Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace (catch a tube from St James’s Park to Queensway), Royal Mews (you can walk it in 4 mins) and Windsor Castle. There are two more daily parades at Horse Guards: another Changing the Guard ceremony and the Dismounting Ceremony. You can learn some information about the Foot Guards at the Guards' Museum
