Day 23: Sep. 26, 2018 - Buckingham Palace

We awake to a new day in Notting Hill. We signed up for a Royal Day at Buckingham Palace. Our day starts at 13:00, so we have a leisurely morning. Around 11:00, we head out. We first stop at Gregg’s on Portobello Road to get some take-away lunch. We then walk to the Underground getting out at Green Park.

We find a bench near the Palace and enjoy our sandwiches, chips and drink. Shortly after 1:00, we enter the Queen’s Gallery to view the Treasures from South Asia.

These are mostly gifts given to whichever King was on the thrown (or Queen Victoria, when she was reigning). They consist of South Asian paintings and manuscripts. The manuscripts are exquisitely illustrated books, written in native Indian scripts. The Paintings include illustrations of stories from traditional or religious sources. We didn’t think we would enjoy these as much as we do. They are quite fine.

We next head down the Buckingham Palace Road to tour the Royal Mews. A word on nomenclature: originally, the Royal Falcons under Henry VIII were housed in the Mews near Charing Cross. The word mews derives from the French, muer, which means to moult. The falcons were held in the mews when they were moulting and could not fly to hunt. In the 19^th century, the Mews was moved near to the new Palace at Buckingham. Later, the Mews buildings were repurposed to house carriages and horses, but the falconry term remained as the name of the facility. From then on, the term began to be used throughout Britain to refer to stable areas.

First Stop on the Royal Mews Tour

The Royal Mews is where the royal horses are kept, trained and exercised. They also house the carriages and other paraphernalia related to transporting royalty. Today, they support the varied ceremonial duties performed by horses and riders related to royal functions and the activities required for those duties. For instance, there is a Royal Farrier on staff here.

Exercising a Team in the Mews

We continue on the tour and see a number of royal carriages, including the one used by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during their wedding in Windsor in the Spring.

Having to support this ceremonial usage of equines strikes me as pretty comical. But I must remember that I am American, and the usage here is perfectly in keeping with their traditions. At least they do all this ceremony very well. The carriages are quite beautiful and take a good deal of care to keep looking good and working well. One of the carriages is called the Golden State Coach, used at every coronation since George VI.

The Gold State Coach

After the Mews, we have about a half hour until we are allowed into the State Rooms Tour. We head to the Victoria Memorial Fountain to sit down and rest/wait. When the time comes, we enter the State Rooms, after first passing through airport-level security.

No photos are allowed and I am afraid that my words will not adequately describe how exquisite the tour is. From the Grand Staircase, through the Picture Gallery and to the Sculpture Hall, the rooms are a testament to the wealth and taste of the monarchs who have lived here. It’s good to be King (or Queen).

Besides maintaining these Rooms, the Royal Family supports the arts through several efforts, including the traditional woodworking arts of Afghanistan, which have been severely curtailed in recent years. Masters of these arts are very old and passing away without transferring their knowledge to younger artisans. Turquoise Mountain is one of his patronages. Some of the products of these efforts are included in the State Rooms Exhibits. And some of the practitioners being trained are in the rooms working their crafts. The last couple of rooms are sort of an Art Exhibit in the Royal State Rooms.

Finishing the tour of the grand rooms with all their awesome contents, we end up on the back patio/porch overlooking the Royal Back Lawn of the Buckingham Palace Gardens. We decide to stop for a spot of tea and scones so we can enjoy the sunshine. It is wonderful. These State Rooms are more modern and more suitable to impressing contemporary and/or foreign visitors than the State Rooms in Windsor. But both sets of Rooms are magnificent and I heartily recommend visiting them both.

We are all royalled out and exit the Grounds through the rear gate of the Gardens.

We head back to our flat on the bus. We dine at the Electric Diner. Amy has the Pumpkin Chowder and the Forbidden Rice Bowl. I have the Rib Eye. Another glorious day in London ends.

Buckingham Palace from the Royal Gardens