Changing of the Guard

The royal palace is traditionally guarded by special troops who wear colourful uniforms: scarlet tunics, blue trousers and bearskin caps. These guardsmen protect the Queen. Every day a new guard of thirty guardsmen marches to the palace and takes the place of the "old guard". This is known as the Changing of the Guard ceremony and it dates back to 1660. It takes place at Buckingham Palace* every day at 11.30. The ceremony always attracts a lot of spectators - Londoners as well as visitors - to the British capital.

Mounting the Guard is another colourful ceremony. The Guard is a detachment of Cavalry troops and consists of the Royal Horse Guards and the Life Guards*. The ceremony takes place at the Horse Guards, in Whitehall, at 11 a.m. every weekday and at 10 a.m. on Sundays. It always attracts sightseers. Thousands of visitors take photographs of the Horse Guards.

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*Buckingham Palace - Букингемский дворец (лондонская королевская резиденция)

*Life Guards – [´laifֽgɑ:dz] лейб-гвардия (придворный кавалерийский полк)