In London there are palaces from every time period, from the austere Tower of London built by William the Conqueror to the 19th century Buckingham Palace. I was fortunate enough to visit in September - still the summer opening period while the Queen is at Balmoral but fewer tourists. On my 5-day visit I had to the chance to visit 3 palaces: Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, and the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament).
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace is only open to the public in August-September, and since this year the Duchess of Cambridge's wedding gown was on display (and a special display of the royal family's Fabergé egg collection) this was the one thing I didn't want to miss on my visit.
The first monarch to live in Buckingham Palace, in the centre of the city, was Queen Victoria. There is a huge monument to her in front of the palace, which unfortunately was under restoration. I was lucky enough to be there on a day they were doing the changing of the guard - a 45 minute musical treat! They marched to some classical tunes but also played more modern pop pieces.
Buckingham Palace. The crowds are gathered for the changing of the guard.
The Changing of the Guard
Statues on the Victoria Monument
Canada Gate (the biggest one!), in the square in front of the Palace. Looking down towards St. James'.
Buckingham Palace (as seen through the gates). That's THE balcony!
The first part of the palace tour I did was the Royal Mews, where state vehicles, carriages and horses are kept. There are lots of beautiful coaches here that have carried royals to and from their weddings and coronations, the star being the enormous gold state coach built in 1761. The Queen used this at her coronation - it's so big it can only go at a walking pace. There were lots of nice cars too, including the Queen's Bentley's and Royces. Most of the horses weren't there at the time, but we did get to see a few of them. They're bred at Hampton Court (another palace), and the Queen and Prince Philip name them after places they have enjoyed visiting. There's a stall for a horse named Jasper (Alberta!).
The Royal Mews (inside the courtyard).
The Rolls Royce Phantom VI, one of the Queen's official vehicles. Kate Middleton rode in this car on the way to her wedding, and came back with Prince William in one of the coaches.
One of the state coach. The Irish or Scottish State Coach perhaps? I can't remember. People still give the Queens coaches - there is an Australian State Coach that is quite new and with the comfort of a modern suspension.
The Golden State Coach (1761).
One of the carriage horses.
The next area was the Queen's Gallery. This is in a small building to the side of the palace and displays part of the Queen's private art collection. When I was there the theme was "Dutch Landscapes". You can imagine what kind of quality of a collection the royal family has amassed over the centuries!
Entrance to the Queen's Gallery.
The tour of the palace itself included the state rooms that are often used for receptions and meetings. The benefit of it being a working palace is that all of the rooms and furnishings and in perfect condition. Everything looks very classic yet like it was made yesterday. The silk wallpaper shimmers wonderfully and there isn't a speck of dust anywhere. We saw ballrooms and hallways and drawing rooms and dining rooms... The red throne room was pretty cool - that's where the photos were taken after the Royal Wedding. It was very easy to imagine the royal family milling about those rooms! Unfortunately no pictures allowed, but I had such a good time I brought home the guidebook to look at.
On special display this summer was the royal family's Fabergé collection - priceless treasures made by the jeweller to the Russian Imperial Court, Fabergé. The royal families of Europe were all related to each other, and every summer a group of siblings (and in-laws) that included the Russian, Danish, and British Royal families would meet, and of course buy each other expensive gifts. The favourite was Fabergé, and there are family photos in exquisite frames, glass flowers that almost look real, and small animals figurines. The highlight is certainly the Easter eggs that the Tsar would give to his wife, encrusted with precious gems. The British royal family has been acquiring pieces over the years to add to what they already had, and the collection is quite impressive.
The highlight of the visit was certainly the special display "The Royal Wedding - Excellence in British Design". In the middle of the ballroom they had the Duchess of Cambridge's gown, veil and the Cartier Halo Tiara lent to her by the Queen. The dress is absolutely unreal - the lace pieces were cut out and sewn on by hand to make a unique pattern and the shape of the dress is absolutely perfect. There was a video on how Sarah Burton (Alexander McQueen) and the Duchess designed it - very complicated! They also had her shoes (also with lace on them!), earrings and replica of her bouquet. There was a replica of the wedding cake - super complicated! They should do a cooking show on how they made it. I'd be afraid to cut into it!
Such a nice visit, ending with a walk through the palace gardens.
Garden face of the palace.
Palace Gardens.
The Tower of London
William the Conqueror started construction on the Tower of London soon after becoming king in 1066. Many of the buildings date from this period, and the newest ones I saw dated from the Tudor era, making this a very old palace! Over the centuries it has been used as a royal residence, garrison, armoury, prison, and treasury.
The White Tower. This is the most famous tower in the palace complex, and can be seen from across the Thames. It still looks great for being almost 1000 years old!
The building on the right houses the Crown Jewels - very cool! The world's largest diamond, the Star of Africa, is here as the main stone in the sceptre used at the coronation. The Koh-I-Noor is also here as part of the consort's crown. This diamond is supposed to be unlucky for men to wear, so it's in the Queen Consort's crown. The Coronation Crown, the Imperial Crown used at the opening of Parliament every year, and Queen Victoria's Small Diamond Tiara are also here. It's truly an incredible collection!
A "beefeater" giving a tour. Yes, the guy on the gin bottle is a palace warden.
Reconstruction of what the king's bedchamber would have looked like in the Middle Ages. At this time, kings ruled by administering the law directly in towns and castles across the country, moving every 2 days or so, so he wouldn't have spent much time here.
For a couple hundred years, there was a "zoo" in one of the towers. Some of the animals included lions, elephants, and a polar bear! Not surprisingly, people died visiting the zoo and the animals died because they didn't know how to take care of them. For example:
Bloody Tower. The Tower is probably best known for having housed several famous prisoners. The future Elizabeth I was imprisoned here by her sister Mary I, as were the "Princes in the Tower". The young boy-king Edward V and his younger brother were locked in the tower by their uncle Richard III, and were never seen again. Some prisoners were kept here for decades, some with their families and their own servants allowed to live with them.
Traitor's Gate. It is here that prisoners would arrive by boat on the Thames. Two wives of Henry VIII passed through this gate on the way to their executions in the Palace square: Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard.
Queen's House, the official residence of the sovereign at the palace.
There is an interesting display of armour through the ages in the White Tower. Here we have a child's suit of amour (ceremonial use only) and the suit of the "tallest knight in the world", at about 7' tall.
Dragon made out of weapons and armour.
Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament)
There has been a palace at Westminster since the 11th Century, when King Edward the Confessor lived here (this is before William the Conqueror!). The current palace was built during the reign of Queen Victoria and houses both the British House of Commons and the House of Lords. Usually it's closed to the public, but it's open during the summer and for a week in September when the parties are in conference.
Unfortunately no pictures allowed inside, but I can tell you it was pretty cool! The House of Lords is very ornate. When the Queen comes here every year to deliver the Throne Speech, the Lords have to send a "hostage" to Buckingham Palace to ensure her safe return! Not so much of a concern now, but right after the Civil War and the restoration of the monarchy I'm sure it was a legitimate worry. The House of Commons is pretty plain and rather small - it dates from the 1950s since it was hit by a bomb during the Blitz. They have benches here instead of chairs, and the desk in the middle of the chamber was actually a gift from Canada! I sent my brother a postcard from the post office in the lobby - this room is the basis of the word "lobbyist": any constituent can come here and ask to meet with their MP! It was a very interesting experience walking through the halls where "it all happens".
Big Ben is actually the name of the clock inside the tower.
Exterior of the Palace of Westminster.
Entrance to the Central Lobby.
St. Stephen's Hall - this room dates from the 11th Century! The only room we could take pictures in.
Statue of Winston Churchill in front of the Houses of Parliament.
Red telephone booth and Big Ben!
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