On Sunday 13th March a small group of 10 of us had the special privilege of going to watch the “Changing of the Guard” ceremony from inside Buckingham Palace grounds.

 

Making sure everybody’s uniform was perfect, we travelled into London on the tube, sat in Green Park for a hot drink before reporting to the senior police officer at the palace gates with our invitation.  He escorted us across the parade ground to the front of the Palace, where we could watch the ceremony.

 

The pipes and drums from the old guard marched from their barracks into the parade ground and formed up with the guards on duty.  Then in the distance the band of the new guard could be heard leading the new guard into the parade ground.  With the two companies formed up at either end of the parade ground, the officers in charge of each guard marched to meet each other in the centre.

 

The two officers then march back and forth across the front of the palace, for the old guard officer to prove that everything was alright to hand over to the new guard officer.  They did this a couple of times but on the last time they marched past they marched straight up to us.  We thought we were in trouble, but he was asking where we were from.  We told him we were from Harrow to which he said that he knew Harrow well as he had attended Harrow School and still lives in Harrow.

 

The two officers returned to their companies and the bands started to play again.  The new guards on duty took their positions, those not on duty marched back out of the parade ground following their band.  The old guards’ pipes and drums started and played as the old guard marched out of the parade ground.

 

The senior police officer then came to escort us back to the palace gates, but before leaving we managed to take a couple of photos.

 

My thanks to Kate (Pegasus ESU Leader) for organising this very interesting and memorable trip.