Showing posts with label queen elizabeth ii. Show all posts
Showing posts with label queen elizabeth ii. Show all posts

Monday, June 4, 2012

The Buckingham Palace Tour

When I found out I was going to London on a business trip, I realized that I would be there while the Buckingham Palace State Rooms were open to the public.  And in 2011, the tour also included an exhibition of Kate Middleton's wedding dress.  It was an entirely touristy thing to do, but I have to say that I enjoyed the tour even more than I expected.   


Your ticket to Buckingham Palace includes...
The Royal Wedding Dress
Royal Faberge Special Exhibition
A walk along the south side of the Palace garden
An audio tour of the State Rooms and special exhibitions

As you might expect, we weren't allowed to take photographs inside the palace, but if you visit the British Monarchy's Flickr stream, you can see some images of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duchess of Cambridge looking at the wedding dress exhibit.  Here's one of the pictures posted there:

A photo of the dress from the British Monarchy's Flickr photostream.
Visitors could walk all around the platform to see the dress from all sides.
The wedding cake was also on display!  A couple layers of the cake were replicas,
but apparently the rest of it was the real thing.  (Really?!?!)
You could even see the slice that William and Kate had made when the cut the cake.

A royal lamppost.

Notable snake detail.


An inviting bench.

A satisfied Mr. Hunter poses before
the back of Buckingham Palace, seen from the gardens.
(He was still glowing from a friendly encounter with one of the Queen's Guards.)
The white tents on the left cover a little cafe.

A glimpse of the palace through the trees.
Something Pemberley-like in the sight.


We finished the tour by taking a walk through the idyllic gardens.


A lovely tree in the Buckingham Palace gardens.

Buckingham Palace
London, England
September 2011

Friday, June 1, 2012

Diamond Jubilee

At the Royal Mews, Mr. Hunter saw the Royal Family's Gold State Coach, which has been used in the coronation of every British monarch since 1820, and which will likely be making an appearance in celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee this weekend.

Mr. Hunter smiles in front of the Gold State Coach.

Here's a feature from the British Monarchy on Queen Elizabeth II's accession and coronation in 1952. And here's an excerpt from Long to Reign Over Us, with footage from the day of the coronation, including glimpses of the Gold State Coach.


Golden wheels... gilded wheels, actually.

A closer look at the body of the coach.

One of the tritons on the Gold State Coach.


Royal Mews
London, England
September 2011

The Royal Mews

Mr. Hunter visited the Royal Mews, home to the Royal Family's carriages, cars, and horses.

Mr. Hunter and the famous Glass Coach.

About the Glass Coach, in which Lady Diana Spencer
rode to St. Paul's Cathedral on her wedding day.

Mr. Hunter and the Rolls-Royce Phantom VI in which Kate Middleton
rode to her wedding at Westminster Abbey.


Read more about the Royal Wedding-related sights that Mr. Hunter visited.

The pleasingly decorated Australian State Coach.


About the Australian State Coach.
Its features include electric windows and air conditioning.

I liked how the Australian Coat of Arms included a kangaroo and an emu.


Employees of the Royal Mews live in some of these apartments.

The old Christmas sleigh.

The one in the left is marked "Goat Cart"

Donkey Barouche
The word "barouche" always reminds
me of Jane Austen.

Sedan chair.

This horse was named Mary Tudor.

London, England
September 2011

Monday, February 6, 2012

Her Majesty

Mr. Hunter takes a seat inside the LEGO crown of a LEGO bust of Queen Elizabeth II.


Legoland
Carlsbad, California
November 2008