Summer at Buckingham Palace 2011

[Missus Makkem]

Those visiting London might like to know that the Duchess of Cambridge's wedding dress and accessories are on display at Buck house if that is what floats your boat.

[aquilegia]

For the record, the Queen doesn't like the way the dress has been displayed. It's spotlit against a black background with the tiara and veil sort of hovering above it. She was shown on TV looking at the exhibit with Kate and described it as horrible and 'made to look very creepy'!

[Missus Makkem]

For the record, the Queen doesn't like the way the dress has been displayed. It's spotlit against a black background with the tiara and veil sort of hovering above it. She was shown on TV looking at the exhibit with Kate and described it as horrible and 'made to look very creepy'!

 

But Kate did like it and she was the bride not an 80 year old :)

[harrodsfan]

Tickets are easy to get on the Royal Collection Web site. I got mine by mail 4 days after I ordered them..

[phabric]

We took the tour in Aug 2010 and really enjoyed. We did the evening tour which cost more and we had a guide to explain everything, Buckingham Palace guide book and we exited out the main gate. If you have seen the movie The King's Speech, you see some of the rooms from the Palace.

 

TIP - there are only bathrooms at the end of the tour.

[jtamchay]

We took the evening tour on 8 August 2011...paid for it online and the group is about 25 people. The curator led the tour and yes, the dress et al and the cake are on display. I took a quick look at the bottom of the shoes and could find no sign that they were even worn...the top three layers of the cake have been substituted with a fresh set and yes, you can see where they cut into the cake with perhaps a saber or very large knife. No photos of any sort are allowed. The champagne at the end of the tour is a nice touch but not very tasty. They also had apple cider. The Faberge Eggs on display are worth the price of admission. The book we received was very nice. There is a security scan before you enter the tour area.

This palace is quite conservative compared to others we had seen in the Baltic Region.

[Mooloo]

This palace is quite conservative compared to others we had seen in the Baltic Region.

That's because it was originally built as a private house and only comparatively recently (2-300 years I think) became the primary (private, rather than public) residence of the monarch.

 

Prior to that the 'King' lived in Whitehall, Richmond, Kew or Hampton Court Palaces or even the lesser ones like St James's when in London.

 

If you want opulence, have a look at Banqueting House (where Charles I was executed) the only surviving part of the Whitehall complex or Hampton Court.

[jtamchay]

We had two brief days post cruise in London so we did not see anything but BP and to be honest it was refreshing to see the understatedness compared to what we had been seeing.We were busy with Westminster Abbey and The Tower of London as well. The easy access to all the sites was incredible and the transportation was very easy to use. We pomise to come back and see the other places you have mentioned. Thank you.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

You need about 12 days there to see most things