Buckingham Palace

I made two visits to the Palace, the first on my way to Hyde Park Corner, and the second to watch the crowds gather to see the Queen as she departed on an official engagement. From the Strand Palace Hotel, I strolled past  Charing Cross Station to Trafalgar Square and Nelson's Column, then through the Admiralty Arch to The Mall..

Nelson's Column at Trafalgar Square	King George IV in Trafalgar Square	One of the lions in Trafalgar Square
The fountain in the middle of the Square	Admiralty Arch at the end of The Mall	The Mall looking towards Buckingham Palace
Captain James Cook beside the Admiralty Arch.	St James Park from The Mall	Looking east across St James Park from in front of Buckingham Palace

As I walked down the Mall the weather brightened and the sun shone in patches through the trees in the park. All was quiet, so I walked up Constitution Hill to Hyde Park Corner. The following day I returned to The Mall as the Queen was due to depart on an official engagement. What a difference - there were crowds of people, Guards, police, bands and cameras. There was too, the usual assortment of protesters, kept in a corner by fences and police.

The Victoria Statue outside Buckingham Palace	The inside of the fence and main gates to Buckingham Palace look out towards the Victoria Statue	The gardens and gate to St James Park
The following day and the crowds gathered...	and gathered....	and gathered. Compare to the same scene in the photo above
The media were out in force	as was the band,	who stopped at the foot of the steps from Waterloo Place.

And did I see the Queen? Of course. She drove past at a reasonably sedate pace, but did I get the photo - of course not. I had spent the morning waiting for a phone call to confirm my arrangements for a meeting at Whitehall in the afternoon. And the call came just as the Queen drove down The Mall.....

So I walked up the steps to Waterloo Place and found the statue to Robert Falcon Scott. Like Scott, the purpose of my expedition was doomed from the start.

The statue of Robert Falcon Scott, beside Waterloo Place, overlooking St James Park and Buckingham Palace

The plaque at the base of the statue

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Last updated: 30/06/2017