Buckingham Palace., London

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The Queen Victoria Memorial statue stands opposite Buckingham Palace at the end of London’s Mall.
It commemorates the death of England’s longest-reigning monarch – Queen Victoria – and was unveiled by George V in 1911.

The statue was carved from a two-thousand pound block of solid marble, with figures representing Truth, Peace, Constancy and Motherhood. Other figures include Charity, War, Architecture and Manufacture.

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Having seen a few palaces around the world, including the Presidential Palace in New delhi, I found the Bukhingham palace to be quite ordinary at first sight .Besides being the official London residence of The Queen, Buckingham Palace is also the busy administrative headquarters of the monarchy and has probably the most famous and easily recognisable façade of any building in the world.

The Palace is a working building and the centrepiece of Britain's constitutional monarchy. It houses the offices of those who support the day-to-day activities and duties of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh and their immediate family. The Palace is also the venue for great Royal ceremonies, State Visits and Investitures, all of which are organised by the Royal Household.

Although Buckingham Palace is furnished and decorated with priceless works of art that form part of the Royal collection, one of the major art collections in the world today, it is not an art gallery and nor is it a museum. Its State Rooms form the nucleus of the working Palace and are used regularly by The Queen and members of the Royal family for official and State entertaining. Buckingham Palace is one of the world's most familiar buildings and more than 50,000 people visit the Palace each year as guests to banquets, lunches, dinners, receptions and the Royal Garden Parties.

Visitors are allowed access by and organised tour to some areas of the Palace

During the summer, the Changing of the Guard takes place at the front of the Palace and is a popular event for visitors to the capital from 1st April to Early July and on alternate days at other times.

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Buckingham Palace is the Queen's offical residence in London and the official residence of the British monarch. The palace was built under the orders of the Duke of Buckingham in the 18th century and was first used as the Bristish monarch's official residence by Queen Victoria in the 19th century. Although it is not as magnificent as other London's main attractions a visit to the palace is mandatory. After all, it is a symbol not only of London as well as a symbol of the British monarchy and of the United Kingdom itself. When the Queen is out for Scotland during the summer months it is possible to visit some of the rooms and halls of the palace. In front of the Buckingham Palace stands the impressive Victoria Memorial with its beautiful statues, which is worth a look, and the magnificent The Mall, which goes straight from the palace to Trafalgar Square by passing under the stunning Admiralty Arch.

During the summertime Buckingham Palace, the official office and London residence of Her Magesty, Queen Elizabeth is open for tours. You can take a guided tour of the 19 State rooms including the ballroom set up for a state dinner.

You probably won't run into the Queen though. During August and Septemeber the Queeen makes her annual visit to Scotland.

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If you want to go and watch the changing of the gaurd my only suggestion is: GET THERE EARLY. The earlier the better.

During the winter/off-season the changing of the guard occurs every second day (check the website for either odd or even days). During the in-season/summer months the changing occurs every day rain or shine.

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Call me crazy, but besides this being the home of Queen Elizabeth, Buckingham Palace really isn't all that marvelous--at least the exterior. (There are many more impressive and beautiful buildings in London than this.) It's really the memorial to Queen Victoria that graces the front of the palace that makes me rank this as #10 of my "Top 10 Things to do in London" list. And...you really can't go to London without visiting Buckingham Palace. It's like going to Washington DC and not visiting the White House.

Back to the memorial to Queen Victoria. The memorial has a grand statue of Queen Victoria that faces the Mall. On the other three sides of the memorial are angels that represent Justice, Truth, and Charity. Surrounding the statues is a beautiful water fountain with nautical themes--indicating Great Britain's naval prowess. At the four corners of the memorial and fountain, there are some beautiful statues that were gifts from New Zealand, however, I can't find any information as to their significance. The memorial is crowned by a beautiful guilded statue--an Angel with two seated figures. Again, I can't find any information regarding the significance of the figures. Regardless, the memorial in its entirety is gorgeous.

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Every once in a while one gets lucky while traveling. We had the good fortune in June to be at Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard on a day when there was a dress rehearsal for the Trooping of the Colors for the Queen’s birthday the following week. What a show! I can’t name all (or any) of the units involved, but for over an hour we were regaled with colorful, mounted troops with plumed hats and brilliant silver swords. It takes place every day in summer at 11:30 and every other day in winter. Lasts about 45 minutes. There are huge crowds so you might want to arrive a bit early to get a good viewing spot. Also, everything I have read says this is a favorite spot for pickpockets, so be wary.

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Buckingham Palace is the Royal Residence since 1837. The building was initially a house owned by the Duke of Buckingham at the beginning of the 18th century. The building was gradually extended and now has no less than 775 rooms.

Some areas (in south) are open for visitors: The State Rooms (1 ticket = 15.50 pounds), The Garden, Royal Mews, Queen's Gallery (1 ticket for the big tour - Royal Day Out = 28.50 pounds .. ouch!).

The Change of the Guards is the thing everybody talks about - imho it's over rated. It's happening starting with 11AM, actually starts at 11.30AM and the crowds of tourists are very numerous to see it. I personally found it less interesting, probably because of the crowds and the wait. I still prefer the changing of the guards at Palazzo Quirinale in Rome, Italy.