Changing of the Guard Tours London
Changing the Guard takes place at Buckingham Palace at 11:00am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The ceremony actually begins at St James’s Palace at around 10:40am and finishes around 11:45am.
| Location | Days | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Buckingham Palace | Monday, Wednesday, Friday | 11:00am |
| St James’s Palace (where it begins) | Monday, Wednesday, Friday | from around 10:40am |
| Horse Guards Parade | Monday, Wednesday, Friday | 11:00am |
| The Sunday Parade | Sundays | 10am to 10.40am, various locations |
The section most people mean by “Changing the Guard”. The New Guard arrives at the forecourt and the handover takes place at 11:00am. In summer, tens of thousands of people watch it, so the positions with a clear view fill well before the hour.
Where to stand, and how early to arrive.
The Change of the Lifeguard occurs at the same time as the Change of the Guard. Both are at 11am, but the Change of the Lifeguard occurs at Horse Guards Parade, the other end of the Mall from Buckingham Palace. It’s a splendid ceremony with 360 years of tradition, with one regiment of Cavalry replacing each other much like the Foot Guards.
Arrive at least 10 minutes before the ceremony starts to see the Old Guard and New Guard arrive. Once the First Relief peels away to go on duty, there is 30 minutes of guards facing each other before the Old Guard head back to their barracks and the New Guard enter their stables. Worth seeing if you love horses or can’t face the crowds of the main event.
On Sundays there is a separate event called the Sunday Parade, introduced in April 2025. Like Changing the Guard it involves foot guards, marching and music in the same part of London. The difference is that it celebrates the role of the Colour, the regimental flag, and involves one regiment of guards rather than the usual two.
The Sunday Parade takes around 45 minutes. The Ceremonial Band leaves Wellington Barracks by 10am and marches to Buckingham Palace. After a short inspection and a couple of pieces of music, the Band leads the Guards along the Mall to St James’s Palace, arriving by 10.25. After the Regimental Colour is left at the Palace, the Guards march back to Buckingham Palace while the Band heads to Wellington Barracks. It concludes by around 10.40am, although there is no fixed start time and the guards do not always run to the minute.
More on the Sunday Parade, and how to watch it.
The weekday ceremony takes about an hour from start to finish. The Old Guard emerge from St James’s Palace at around 10:40am and the New Guard complete the ceremony at around 11:45am. Arrive 20 minutes early in the summer, 10 minutes early in the winter.
If the rain is heavy, or the forecast is for rain, the British Army may curtail the ceremony. There will then be a ‘Wet Change’, with the soldiers in light overcoats marching without the ceremonial band. Sometimes the full ceremony goes ahead in the rain regardless. The decision is usually made at the very last minute, so check on the morning rather than the night before.
On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoons you will sometimes catch a Captain’s Inspection instead. It is a smaller, quieter ceremony without the band or the marching column, so it is worth knowing the difference before you plan a morning around it.
Each month of the schedule is only confirmed about six weeks ahead, and it shifts for state occasions, ceremonial duties, operational reasons and bad weather. A date that runs one year may not run the next. Times change with the season and with state occasions. The Household Division publishes the official schedule and is the authority. We check it too, but they set it.
Changing of the Guard tours · where to watch · the Sunday Parade · see it with a guide
