I felt so smug the first time I took my child to see the changing of the Guard. My toddler sat awe-struck listening to the music; she clapped her hands and shouted “One more time!” after each song.
As the band marched towards the palace, I wondered whether I finessed this love of music in my child’s character. After speaking to other families and carers, The Queen’s Guard Band has this effect on every child.
If you are in London with your toddler, here are a few tips for making the trip a bit more manageable.
First and foremost, watching the band warm up at the Wellington Barracks is far easier than attempting to see the entire ceremony at the palace gates. The band warms up between 11 and 11:15 and marches out of the yard just before 11:30. Even on the busiest tourist days in summer, you can get a spot next to the band and there is plenty of room to move around on the pavement while they play. My child and I usually play in the playground, which is just a few steps from The Wellington Barracks, until we here the band and then go up to the fence and watch.
The warm-up is usually enough for my two-year old and we head back to the fenced-in playground. There is a basic snack stand, baby and big kid swings, a climbing frame, slide, see-saw, picnic tables and an enormous sand-pit that has a gorgeous stone bridge going over the middle. An attendant monitors the children’s toilets, so make sure to take your little one with you.
Occasionally, after a play or lunch, we venture over to Green Park and either stand on the Mall to march with the regimental band as it goes on to St. James Palace.
If you like horses, the changing of the Queen’s life Guard takes place at 10 AM in the Horse Guard Parade at the opposite end of St. James’s Park from the Palace. The cavalry division leaves Hyde Park Barracks at 9:45 and reaches the Horse Guard Parade by 9:50. They stand for ten minutes waiting to change at exactly 10 AM. The only drawback I find to watching the horses is that you are a good 10 minutes away from the playground and are standing on a giant field of pebbles with little to do.
It is really good fun to get an early start, watch the horses, walk to the playground while feeding the ducks along the way, watch the band warm up and later, watch the retreat after eating lunch in the playground.
IMPORTANT: the Guard only changes on every other day August through April with the occasional last minute cancellations while April through July it is held daily. The guard will not change in wet weather. It is advised to check online, and if unsure about the weather or would like to double check the times you can ring Buckingham Palace: 0207 321 2233. After going through an automated menu you will eventually reach a customer service representative you will kindly answer your questions.
This post was written by Laura Vogel, a former primary school teacher and full-time mother of two who is enjoying every minute of her life in London discovering the city with her children on her extended maternity leave.
Photo credit: koltregaskes
Thanks for the tips. I've never been with the kids but really want to go.
Posted by: A Modern Mother | 16 June 2009 at 06:56 AM