Trooping the Colour, at Horse Guards Parade – London chat forum

[ronette]

Just a reminder to everyone that it's Trooping the Colour tomorrow! I am really in the mood for all this pageantry at the monet after the Royal Wedding, and I am going early tomorrow to stand on the Mall to see the Queen again. It starts at 10. So it's up at 6 for me, to make sure I get a good spot. I am going to try and stand in the same place that I did for the wedding!

[Drummerboy]

I went today and it was pretty good. i wrote about it in my blog.
I saw pretty much every member of the Royal Family -- the Queen, Prince Phillip, Charles, Camilla, William and Kate, Harry, and even Princess Anne and Andrew. And that old posh guy with the beard and his pushy wife, who live in Kensington Palace, I can never remember their names.

[bobby]

I've just enjoyed the highlights on the BBC. I always plan to go to these kinds of events but I never actually feel like it on the day, and then I feel disappointed later. But I am determined now to go to the next big pageantry event that takes place in London. I have never seen the Queen in the flesh and I would like to, and I would especially like to see Kate Middleton, just to see if she is as pretty in real life as she is in the Sunday newspapers.

[StoneyGirl]

Not sure whether I should be posting here about the 2012 Trooping the Colour event but I will be in London during that week and am wondering what the best inside tips are about the event and getting tickets to the seated area. On the official TOTC website it says to send in a written application specifying the number of tickets sought and to include an International Reply Coupon for those of us who are coming from another country. I also recently heard that the Horse Guards Parade seems to take into account the status of the applicants (i.e., which organizations they are affiliated with). Is this true? Is there preferential treatment for the "somebody"s as opposed to us ordinary Joes?

Also, as a separate question, how long does the event last? I am trying to put together an organized itinerary with a rough plan for each day, and it would be nice to know how much time to budget for this event. Thanks for any help you can offer!

[Drummerboy]

i think the tickets are allocated by ballot, so its completely random. but you need to apply now. check this page out -- royal.gov.uk/RoyalEventsandCeremonies/T ... olour.aspx
there's not many seats in horse guards though, when you consider how many people end up standing in the mall. the odds of winning a ticket are probably pretty small.

when i went last year it was absolutely packed. i was standing in the mall, and it was about ten people deep all the way down (read my blog). i think i got there about two hours before it started, or something like that, and if you want a place up against the barriers (because you wont be able to see anything otherwise) then i would say you have to get there at least an hour/hour and a half before. and theres no seats either, its all standing. but there is good banter in the crowd and you'll probably end up talking to to the people around you.

ive got a lousy memory, but the parade probably passes you in about ten minutes, and the royals speed past in about minute. then you've got to stand there for an hour whilst they have their service (which you cant see), and then they come back the opposite way, so you can see them again. and if you want to wait around after that, then you can watch the flypast above your head.

its a long day, with lots of standing, but it was good though. i will probably end up going this year too.

the best places to stand are probably on the corner, where the road bends round from the Mall to Horse guards. if you can get on that bend, then you can watch them come all the way down the mall and into Horse guards. the other good place is on the corner near St. James Palace, where the traffic lights are. because you have a bit more room in front of you there, because of the empty road.
dont go near the palace though. lots of people do that, but i think that is the worse place, because your a lot of your view will probably be blocked by the queen victoria memorial

[StoneyGirl]

Thanks Drummerboy. All of this is helpful. I've been reading your blogs and they are likewise helpful. If I can't get tickets, I will follow your tips.

[Admin]

We've put some information up about this year's event here - http://www.londondrum.com/events/?p=16806