Buckingham Palace

After the tour of the Buckingham Palace State Rooms, we walked home and took a little time to take pictures of the front of the palace.

Hey!  It's the Queen's Guard!

Scottish Unicorn

Mr. Hunter admired the Royal coat of arms, which features a lion and a unicorn.

Buckingham Palace

London, England

September 2011

Hall of Fame: Mr. Hunter and the Queen's Guard

One bonus feature of the Buckingham Palace State Rooms tour: 

a pair of Queen's Guardsmen who stood at the ready to pose for friendly photos with us tourists.  The guard I met was curious to hear Mr. Hunter's story.  And Mr. Hunter was so tickled to have a Queen's Guard photo-op.

This particular guard is a member of the Coldstream Guards,
as identified by the grouping of his buttons and the garter star badge on his collar.
See more about the Queen's Guards on the British Monarchy site.

Two young women try on the Queen's Guard hats.

Another tourist holds the hat.

Buckingham Palace

London, England

September 2011

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

Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace

Mr. Hunter had tickets for the Buckingham Palace State Rooms tour, so we walked down The Mall and figured we might as well check out the changing of the guard.

Changing the Guard

Buckingham Palace

London, England

September 2011

The Royal Wedding

Guess who got sent on a business trip to London!

Mr. Hunter visited a number of spots related to the April 29, 2011, wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, including a tour of Buckingham Palace to see Kate's wedding gown, veil, shoes, earrings, the Cartier "Halo" tiara, and even part of the couple's wedding cake.  (Too bad we couldn't take any pictures inside!)

Before we toured Buckingham Palace, we visited the Royal Mews, where we saw the Rolls Royce Phantom VI in which Kate Middleton rode to Westminster Abbey.

About the Rolls Royce that carried Kate Middleton to her wedding.

Some details from the Rolls Royce... the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament (when Queen Elizabeth II rides in the Rolls Royce, there's a different hood ornament that depicts St. George slaying the dragon) and the Queen's coat of arms.

   

The Goring Hotel was only a few blocks away from the palace.  Kate Middleton and her family spent the night before the royal wedding at the Goring Hotel.

The Goring Hotel 

The front of the Goring Hotel.

In the gardens of Buckingham Palace after the State Rooms tour
where we saw Kate's wedding dress.

Westminster Abbey

Happy anniversary to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!

The Royal Mews

The Goring Hotel

Buckingham Palace

and

Westminster Abbey

London, England

September 2011