Last May the Changing of the Guards with all it's pomp and ceremony took place every day, but this year the frequency has changed. The schedule is determined by the British Army and is published on the Household Division website for the current month. So I've only now been able to see for sure when it's on and it's not the day that we have planned to go! A bummer, but luckily we will have enough time on Friday before we go to the airport to see it.
So, below is the schedule for the days we are in London:
As you can see there is nothing on the Thursday, and as we will be at the Chelsea Flower Show on Wednesday that only leaves Friday - the day that we fly to Morocco.
We need to be at Gatwick Airport by 1pm, so the latest train we would want to catch leaves Victoria station at 12.15pm (trip takes 30 mins)
Fortunately Victoria Station is pretty close to Buckingham Palace, we could walk it in 15 mins or get there in 2 mins in a taxi.
And here are the times for the Changing of the Guards (courtesy of the Household Division website):
Troop Movements at and around the Palace
Before the Ceremony
10:43am - Old Guard leaves St James’s Palace (a contingent remains until it is replace by a part of the New Guard)
10:57am - New Guard leaves Wellington Barracks towards Buckingham Palace where the ceremony starts at 11:00am
During and after the Ceremony
11:10am - St James’s Palace relief leaves Buckingham Palace
11:25am - St James’s Palace contingent leaves St James’s Palace
11:40am - Old Guard leaves Buckingham Palace
11:45am - St James’s Palace Guard leaves Buckingham Palace
Directions the different troops come from
Buckingham Palace to Victoria Station
Check out my next post for something super cool....