Castles · Tour

Buckingham State Rooms and the Guard, via Lancaster House

Two and a half hours that end inside the palace rather than at its gates. The walk covers Royal London, the Changing of the Guard is timed into it, and then you go into the State Rooms with an audio guide, which is possible for only about eight weeks a year. The route starts at the Duke of York Column and runs along The Mall, the ceremonial avenue between Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace, used for state visits, coronations and processions. It passes the memorials to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, crosses St James's Park, the oldest of the royal parks, and takes in St James's Palace, the oldest royal palace in London and still a working residence, Clarence House, the London home of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, and Lancaster House, a 19th-century mansion used for state receptions, diplomacy and film shoots. Which ceremony you see depends on the day. On Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays the Foot Guards are at Wellington Barracks; on other days ceremonial duty generally falls to the Horse Guards. If the ceremony is cancelled for weather or operational reasons, the guide extends the walking tour instead. At the palace, a host sees you in and then you go round independently with the audio guide: the State Rooms with their chandeliers, staircases and reception rooms, still used for royal ceremonies and state occasions. The State Rooms open to the public for roughly eight weeks a year and tickets go quickly. Meet by the Duke of York Column, Waterloo Place, 9 Carlton Terrace, London SW1Y 5AJ, the tall column with a statue on top.