We’re going to the archives this week! Back in 2012, I traveled to London to conduct research as part of my social psychology PhD. I had a split life between being an academic all week studying at the University of Surrey and then taking the train to explore on weekends in London.
I initially stayed with one of my friends from California who showed me around some fun nightlife spots in London. But I also explored quite a bit on my own.
One of the first places I went was to watch the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. Little did I know, it was a very special day to see this daily ritual event. This day happened to be the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee!
Not A Typical US Tourist
Oh wow. It’s me circa 2012 on the train into London
Most people in the United States whom I know go a little wild for the royal family. I always thought this royal obsession was ironic considering we literally had a revolution to declare independence from the English monarchy just over 200 years ago. But sure, let’s treat the royal family as we do celebrities in the US, that’s fine.
Growing up, Princess Diana (and her death) was big news and topic of conversation around me. My immediate family wasn’t even that into it—it was just the messaging I received at the time from wider US culture. She and UK royalty in general were extra special celebrities to everyone. I never really understood why they were all such a big deal.
Most US tourists who travel to England would love nothing more than to have the opportunity to see the royal family. This is what makes my experience actually seeing them so extra funny to me. I’m that asshole who doesn’t care who got to see them! Oops!
So here’s the story…
Staying With Shilpi in London
Me and Shilpi drinking wine in Shoreditch, London
My friend Shilpi from California was studying abroad in London while I was there. I felt very fortunate that she was willing to host me overnight a few times on weekends.
Shilpi was staying in Bethnal Green. We experienced a whole lot together!
Bethnal Green street scene
Shilpi sitting at a restaurant in Shoreditch
We experienced the nightlife in Hackney (a borough of London).
We ate goat cheese pesto pizza at Pizza East in the hipster neighborhood of Shoreditch.
We made jokes about Febreeze and yellow, rubber gloves.
It was a grand ol’ time! The morning after some binge cinder-drinking in Hackney with Shilpi, I decided to try to make it to the Changing of the Guard.
The Changing of the Guard
Every day of the week, tourists can visit Buckingham Palace between 11am and 12pm to see the royal changing of the guard or “guard mounting.” This is a truly British experience. Some even say you haven’t been to London if you haven’t seen it.
I mean, with that sentiment, I had to go. I decided to squeeze it in before heading over to a conference I wanted to check out.
The Queen’s guard protects Buckingham Palace. They have been doing so since 1837. I always loved seeing them featured in movies, with their black bear skin hats, red suits, and straight faces. They always become the subject of attempts to make them crack a smile or do anything other than stand there like a statue. So it would be fun seeing the New Guard march ceremonially to replace the Old Guard.
Typically, the entire tradition lasts about 1 hour and follows the same pattern of marching and music. But this was not a typical day.
Little Did I Know
I woke early to a fast asleep Shilpi. I knew I had to leave right away or I might miss the start of the ceremony.
I made my way along the London tube, the city’s subway with its distinct cylindrical shape. I remember arriving at the stop for Buckingham Palace and noticing how many people got off there. “Wow, I guess the Changing of the Guard is a popular activity on Saturdays!”
It was about 10:45am. I had 15 minutes—plenty of time before the ceremony would start! I meandered my way along the roads from the Tube toward the Palace. Lots of people were walking along the sidewalks headed in the same direction. But I didn’t think much of it other than it being typical tourism.
The crowd increased in density as I neared the palace. Since I was on my own, I could easily push between people without them getting too annoyed. I was determined to get my 5-foot 4-inch self to the front of the crowd.
Standing looking at Buckingham Palace next to the railing
I squeezed my way right up to the first row of people. I was positioned at the east side of the Victoria Memorial and Monument, the iconic monument and gardens at the center of the roundabout in front of Buckingham Palace. Finally settled into my spot, I felt the crowd pushing against me from behind. It was now that I really started to take in the scene. There were a lot of people here.
Little did I know, there were 1 million people in the crowd that day.
Trooping the Colour
The ceremony began almost immediately upon my arrival to the front of the crowd.
There was a parade by first Battalion Coldstream Guards and gun salutes from Tower Bridge. Granted, I knew very little about the Changing of the Guard at the time. I didn’t know what was supposed to happen.
Guards on horseback started to trot in and that’s when I started hearing murmurs around me. Mumble mumble “The Queen” mumble mumble mumble “The Queen.”
Um. Is the Queen here or something?
Sure enough, a carriage rolls through with Queen Elizabeth II inside wearing yellow (I remember this vividly) right next to Prince Philip. I didn’t know this until later but, apparently, it was very special that he was there because he was in recovery in the hospital only days before.
Prince William was on horseback. There was Prince Charles and the Princess Royal. In an uncovered carriage was Kate Middleton, Prince Harry, and the Duchess of Cornwall. Kate and William had only married one year before—I had trouble remembering their names at the time, though (lol).
Sadly, I didn’t get any good photos of the royal family. As you might imagine, people were pretty aggressively trying to take photos as soon as they showed up. I opted just to take in the scene and commit it to memory. But if you want to see it even better than I did, you can watch this short video covering the event here.
They all went inside the palace and, minutes later, they emerged on the balcony. I thought this was merely some kind of photo opportunity for the press. But they were actually there to watch the Royal Air Force fly overhead. Another treat that is definitely not typical to a regular Changing of the Guard.
By now I understood that this was a very special occasion. Soon after, I learned that this was the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and that this was no simple Changing of the Guard. This was a Trooping of the Colour, the official celebration of the Queen’s birthday (her 86th at the time) and her 60-year reign.
In Conclusion
Among the 1-million people counted standing outside Buckingham Palace that day was little, oblivious me.
I’ve told this story countless times to people in the last 8 years, usually to people who love the royal family. I always get people gasping, “What a waste on you!” And I just laugh and laugh.
Now you’ve heard it, too—How I accidentally saw the royal family in London.
I hope you enjoyed this post, because I have a lot more fun stories to tell and photos to share from my time in England. I will feature these from my archives in the coming weeks as I continue to postpone travel plans amidst the COVID-19 pandemic!
