London Drum

State Opening of Parliament – Parade & King’s Speech

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Where? Houses of Parliament, Parliament Square, Westminster When? 17th July 2024 The King is expected to arrive at Parliament at 11.20 AM Tickets? Free to watch from the street, but the public are not allowed inside the Houses of Parliament See parliament.uk Parking: Nearby car parks Buses: 11, 24, 148, 211 Bus fares Trains: The closest station is Westminster Circle District Jubilee Train fares

Craig’s review… The parade is supposed to be marching past at 11 AM so I thought I'd better get here by 9 AM at the latest, but the streets are still empty at ten. It's been drizzling with rain all day so maybe that's what has kept the crowds away.

In my search for the perfect spot I walked the entire route from Buckingham Palace down the Mall, through the centre of Horse Guards and all the way up to the Parliament. You need a pass to get past Westminster Abbey (a cordon of police stop everyone going any further), so I've ended up in Parliament Square opposite Big Ben, about fifteen feet from the Winston Churchill statue.

State Opening of Parliament route map

Where's the best place to stand?

At 10.15 AM the police started blocking off the surrounding streets and fenced everyone into Parliament Square. No one else has been allowed in since, so about fifty of us have got the entire square to ourselves! We're watching the public cramming up against the barriers down Whitehall while we're standing nice and comfy with five feet of personal space each.

So here's my advice: arrive a couple of hours before the parade starts and stand on the Big Ben corner of Parliament Square. With a bit of luck the police will box you in before the horde of tourists arrive.

Big Ben in Parliament SquarePhoto: Craig Cross
Big Ben in Parliament Square

Foot Guards and Household Cavalry

We know the parade is getting closer because the Foot Guards have started lining up in the street with their machine guns and ceremonial swords. The sergeant is marching past with his measuring stick to make sure they're all standing exactly ten paces apart while the police are just standing around yakking and chatting and joking with the crowd. You can actually have a conversation and a bit of a laugh with some of them which helps to pass the time.

Soldiers from the Coldstream GuardsPhoto: Craig Cross
Soldiers from the Coldstream Guards

Just before 11 AM a fleet of limos drive past with foreign flags on their bonnets. I suppose they must be full of diplomats and ambassadors, but you can't really tell because their windows are all blacked out.

Foot Guards from the Household RegimentPhoto: Craig Cross
Foot Guards from the Household Regiment

If you're expecting to see hundreds of horses and thousands of soldiers like Trooping the Colour then you're going to go home disappointed because the State Opening of Parliament isn't like that. There's a couple of marching bands and maybe a hundred horses at the most, perhaps a few hundred soldiers -- the entire parade passes you by in about 2-3 minutes.

Household Cavalry accompanying the State CoachPhoto: Craig Cross
Household Cavalry accompanying the State Coach

King's Speech inside the House of Lords

Once King Charles and Queen Camilla have passed by in their State coach they quickly disappear inside the Houses of Parliament to deliver the King's speech in the House of Lords, and you have to stand around in the rain for 45 minutes waiting for the return trip.

King Charles III at the State Opening of Parliament
King Charles III at the State Opening of Parliament

So is it worth it? Of course it is! These parades are always worth doing, but if I had to choose between Trooping the Colour and the State Opening of Parliament then it's no contest -- Trooping the Colour is by far the better of the two.

Worth a visit? Value for money? freeGood for kids? Easy to get to?

I also recommend… If you enjoy Houses of Parliament then you might like to visit Big Ben (you can walk it in less than 2 mins), Downing Street (you can walk it in 6 mins) and Parliament Square (you can walk it in less than 3 mins). You can watch some more soldiers, horses and marching bands at Changing the Guard

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Your comments and questions

rob Does the state opening of parliament happen every year?

Craig Hi Rob. It does, but the date changes around a bit. It's either held soon after a general election or on the first day of the parliamentary session, and because general elections are usually held in May most of the time it happens in May as well

HK Brian Dear Craig, can watchers leave the fenced area during King gives the Speech inside the House of Lords? Thanks for your sharing.

Craig Hi Brian. if I remember correctly then you can leave towards the Treasury and St James's Park. They wouldn't let you cross the parade route in front of Parliament

HK Brian Thanks Craig. I will be tourist just arrive London in the morning of 2024/7/17. By chance knowing the day is State Opening of Parliament (11 am) + Gun salutes for Queen’s Birthday at Tower of London (1pm). That's why I'd learn from your experience if I can leave early around 11:30 from the fenced area and then take the tube from Westminster to London Bridge area to witness the Gun salutes around Tower Bridge. Thanks again for your valuable sharing.

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