Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the official residence of Queen Elizabeth. Prince Charles lives just down the mall in another residence, and Princess Anne also lives down the mall in St. James Palace. All of these are used for official state functions from time to time. The queen had been away in the weeks preceding our visit to London, and Buckingham Palace was open to visitors. She's back, however, as evidenced by the flag flying over the Palace. I guess my tour of the palace will have to wait for another visit.

Since we could not go into Buckingham Palace, we visited the Royal Mews. The Queen has 32 horses in all. Some are stabled here and the rest are kept at Windsor Castle a short distance away in the countryside. The day we visited many of the horses here were being transported down to Windsor Castle for a horse show/riding exhibition in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Celebration in a few weeks. We were told that the Queen knows every one of her horses by name, and gets weekly reports on their health.

Many of the Royal Carriages are also kept at the Mews. This is definitely the most ornate carriage. It is the Gold State Coach and has been used for every coronation since George IV in 1821. Our guide told us that it takes two days to ease this carriage out of the space it is kept in and two days to ease it back into the space. As a result, you will not be seeing this carriage in any Diamond Jubilee Celebration pictures this year! It's also supposed to be uncomfortable to ride in.

This carriage, however, is the Queen's favourite. It is the Australian State Coach and was presented to the Queen in 1988. Not only does it have a state of the art suspension system, but it is also heated and air conditioned!

There are over 100 coaches at the disposal of the royal family and they are used for State Ceremonial processions and Royal Occasions. Next week the Queen will make the journey from Buckingham Palace to Parliament in one of her coaches. Interestingly enough, there is one coach which has been modified and is used only to transport the crown jewels. That coach, complete with the crown jewels, will also be a part of the procession next week. There are also several limousines and other vehicles kept at the Mews so the Queen definitely has options for travel!

After we left the Mews we ventured over to the Queen's Gallery where a special collection was on display for the Jubilee. Leonardo da Vinci was not only an artist, but also studied human anatomy at length. This display was a collection of his drawings of human anatomy and his interpretation of how different systems in the body work.
Well, it's just about time to gather our suitcases from the hotel and catch our train to go back to Whitehaven. We have definitely enjoyed our time in London, but we are also looking forward to the peace and quiet of our small town!