A little jaunt to see the Queen

I thought it about time that I posted about my recent visit to Buckingham Palace to see the Queen. Not for the Jubilee, but for one of the Queen's Garden Parties.

Earlier this year I was nominated as 'a worthy recipient of an invitation' by the Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire (he obviously doesn't know me very well!) for my involvement in the charity for which I work (the wonderful North Staffs Special Adventure Playground). Now, the last thing I am is a royalist, and I really do not understand a lot of the pomp and circumstance that follows the Royals around. However, I did feel honoured to have been invited to an event that many people never get the opportunity to attend, so whilst all around me got excited about me seeing the Queen, I was looking forward to an experience I wouldn't have every day, and a little people-watching! Also, I was able to take my Mum with me and, although she didn't admit it, I think she was secretly quite excited about seeing the Queen!

Our afternoon began with a short taxi-ride from our hotel to Buckingham Palace. Sitting three abreast in the back of a taxi, each with a largish hat, is no mean feat- every time we stopped at traffic lights or went round a corner, hat brims were crashed together. The couple with whom we shared the taxi were from Monmouth. He used to be in the Navy and was a huge royalist- he had written numerous letters to various members of the Royal Family and had collected no fewer than 30 replies over the years. Now that's dedication for you. They no doubt were amongst those who swarmed forward to get a glimpse of the Queen on her arrival at the Garden Party an hour or so later.

When we reached Buckingham Palace we had to queue to enter.....for quite a distance....

....and then we had to show our ID before we were admitted through the gates. It was a little reminiscent of queuing to get into the student night at our local nightclub in my younger years (except that on this occasion they didn't search our bags!). Actually, I was surprised that we didn't have to undergo more security checks when we arrived, it was all fairly relaxed.

In order to reach the Palace Gardens, we had to walk through the entrance hall and a couple of reception rooms inside the Palace. It was, as expected, exceedingly grand! Unfortunately, there wasn't the time to stop and really take in our surroundings as we were still caught up in a large crowd of party-goers. On our way back out through the Palace later, I was somewhat amused when a guest was unfortunately taken unwell (I wasn't amused by this part!) and St John's Ambulance had the lady lying down on a chaise-longue behind the cordoned off area of the room (one shall not put one's feet up on the upholstery).

Once in the Palace Gardens, we were able to wander around and leave the crowds behind. Tea tents were set up and two military bands played throughout the party. Afternoon tea was 'jolly good'. A selection of sandwiches (with the crusts cut off of course), cakes and pastries were provided- it's just a shame that some people treated it a bit like a buffet at a wedding, piling their plates as high as possible as though they hadn't eaten for a month. Not terribly refined!

An hour into the afternoon and the Royal Family arrived. The guests who, up until this point, had been milling around casually, suddenly all surged forward to get as close to the Queen as possible. We stood back and watched from a distance...didn't fancy getting trampled! I believe that the Queen was accompanied by Prince Andrew and the Princess Royal, but we couldn't see that far- we just saw the Queen's head (which I see every day on stamps) and the Duke of Edinburgh's head!

We then spent the rest of the afternoon walking round the gardens which was very pleasant. It was at this point that I realised that people were not exactly following the 'no photography is allowed within the Palace grounds' rule. Mobile phones were being whipped out left, right and centre to take photographs. Now, I am not usually one for breaking rules in places where I feel I may get into trouble, so I was a little reticent about taking photos myself. It would have been Murphy's Law that everyone else would get away with it, but I would be the one person wrestled to the ground by an armed security guard for daring to break a rule! In the end though, people were being so obvious about doing it, in areas where they would be clearly seen by security, that I thought I might as well go for it too. So, rule broken at Buckingham Palace and I came away with a few (maybe hastily taken) shots of my time at the Royal Garden Party.

Three hours after arriving, the afternoon drew to a close and then came the challenge of finding a taxi back to the hotel. Not easy. The road directly outside Buckingham Palace was closed off to traffic as a result of all the construction work that was taking place ready for the Jubilee celebrations, and taxis didn't seem to want to be flagged down at any point on the route back. So, we had to walk. It wasn't a huge distance, but after an afternoon in high heels it wasn't good. I ended up walking back without my shoes on! My feet suffered for days afterwards.

So, what have I come away with from my trip to Buckingham Palace?

1. I still do not like cucumber sandwiches
2. People will break rules anywhere
3. You can't get a taxi in London
4. Always buy Marks and Spencer's tights...they didn't ladder once despite walking a mile along London streets in them without any shoes
5. It costs an arm and a leg to go (outfit, hat, hotel, train, food, etc etc)

It was definitely an experience and one I am glad to have had, I did enjoy my day. I wish my Nana had been able to come with me though, she would have been in her element and would probably have appreciated the  occasion far more than I ever could (she absolutely loved the Queen).
Below are a couple more photos from my afternoon- the rest are here, along with some others from our meanderings around London.

The Yeomen of  the Guard 

I love this man's outfit!