If there’s one good idea I had this summer holiday it was to buy tickets for a tour of Buckingham Palace with the children.
There are a few different tickets available and I chose the State Rooms and Gardens Highlight Tour. (£63.75 for 1 adult and 2 children ordered from The Royal Collection)
My twins are 6 and bang in the middle of a fabulous princess moment, they love the whole fairy tale life and are enchanted with the Frozen royalty Elsa and Anna like every other girl in the United Kingdom. How would they feel to visit a real castle where a real queen lives and brought up her princes and princesses?
Of course they’d love it! Plus this year they are showing the Royal Childhood collection in honour of Prince George’s first birthday.
If you do decide you’d like to go along you might like to keep in mind the Changing of The Guards which happens every day at 11.15 but do make sure you get there early to ensure good spots to watch this fabulous historical parade.
The tour of the State Rooms is accompanied by an audio kit if you wish and you can choose a family setting or the normal guide setting. It’s very simple to use and there is a lot of information. We used the family guide and the children loved the games included in each room and especially the bits where Rex, one of the palace Corgi’s had something to say.
The State Rooms are fascinating and there is plenty to see for all ages the tour takes about 1 and a half hours to complete but there is no rush and you may take as long as you wish. The room I was most intrigued with was the one with Her Majesty’s secret door. If you don’t look hard you won’t find it.
The tour ends in the Bow Room which leads onto the steps into the garden. A beautiful garden which hosts Garden parties in the summer for thousands of guests.
I chose the option of the Garden Highlights tour. It was a good tour but not for 6 year olds, in hindsight they’d have preferred to see the Royal coaches in the mews. I enjoyed the tour but was disappointed that I couldn’t take any photos after all they are flowers and trees.
It is an exhausting day and there is nowhere to sit and eat your own picnic within Buckingham Palace however there is a cafe with sandwiches and cakes.
Opposite the palace is St James Park ideal for eating a picnic and playing in the child play area before heading off home.
How to get there
We walked from St James Park tube through the park
About Marianne Weekes
BLOGS AT: Mari's World; TWITTER: @maris_world. Mother of four and nana to three, Marianne Weekes has spent half her life in the UK and the other half in Italy. Blogging since Jan 2010, she finds it hard to drag herself away from her laptop and writes about food, travel and lifestyle. Always on the lookout for the next thing which takes her down many surprising lanes.
Carolynne @ mummy endeavours
Thursday 4th of September 2014
Ooh really want to do the Buckingham Palace tour. Fab post.... Making me wish I'd done it this summer now! Def on things to do next summer :)
Marianne Weekes
Thursday 4th of September 2014
You must go as it is an amazing experience, Windsor Castle is next on my list ;)