Changing of Horse Guards & Buckingham Palace with Funny Historian

Trafalgar Square is one of London’s great public spaces. You’ll recognise the lions, the fountains and that very tall column. But among these familiar sights is a collection of royal stories that are anything but respectable.

Here we’ll meet four “kings”, three of them remembered as among the worst in these islands’ history. Rebellion, treachery, vanity, excess and, ultimately, execution. All in one square! Grand statues don’t necessarily mean great monarchs.

And the fourth king? He never wore a crown, but we might call him the monarch of the seas: Lord Horatio Nelson, arguably the greatest of our admirals. His most famous battle gave the square its name — and he certainly gets the best view.

Banqueting House. It sounds like somewhere you’d go for a good dinner. But this elegant building witnessed one of the darkest moments in royal history.

It once formed part of the vast Palace of Whitehall, where monarchs lived, entertained and demonstrated just how powerful they were. Inside, a magnificent ceiling by Rubens celebrates the glory of kingship. Outside, a very different message was delivered.

Here, we’ll hear the story of Charles I — and the extraordinary events that brought a reigning king to a scaffold outside his own palace.

I’ll tell you about his final appearance, the crowd waiting to see him and why, on that bitter January day, he was so particular about what he wore.

Royal splendour, rebellion and a detail as ordinary as a shirt.

Horse Guards is the official entrance to St James’s Palace and Buckingham Palace. We will see cavalry sentries come on duty. The tradition of guarding this entrance goes back to Charles II’s restoration in 1660, when the guards protected Whitehall Palace. At ten o’clock, the mounted watch begins.

That’s George III’s second son, Frederick, towering above us. He was Commander-in-Chief of the British Army when Napoleon was finally defeated at the Battle of Waterloo — although it was Wellington who commanded the army on the battlefield.

Fittingly, Frederick’s column stands here at Waterloo Place.

And Frederick was what we might now call a royal “spare” — a younger son who could become King if circumstances required it.

You might know the nursery rhyme about him. It starts: “The Grand Old Duke of York, he had ten thousand men, he marched them up to the top of the hill…”

I sing the rest of it when we get here.

Buckingham Palace may be more famous, but St James’s Palace has been at the heart of royal life for nearly five hundred years. Henry VIII built it, and much of his red-brick palace survives — including the imposing gatehouse.

This was a royal home long before Buckingham Palace became one. Generations of monarchs lived here, and it remains a working royal palace today.

It also gives its name to something you may have heard without quite knowing what it means: the Court of St James’s. Foreign ambassadors to the United Kingdom are still accredited to that court.

We’ll untangle what that means, meet some of the people who lived behind these walls, and discover why this quieter palace still matters.

Clarence House is the London home of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Yep, you heard that right. This is where they live. They don’t live at Buckingham Palace.

In fact, if we’re lucky enough to see a royal on this walking tour, it’s here that we’re most likely to see them.

It was built for William, Duke of Clarence. He was the third son of George III — another royal “spare”. In 1830, he became William IV. He was known as the Sailor King, but also by the rather less flattering nickname “Silly Billy”.

Clarence House was also the home of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip in the early years of their marriage, before she became Queen. It was then the Queen Mother’s home for almost fifty years.

Here, I’ll tell you the story of William Tallon, the Queen Mother’s devoted servant, better known as “Backstairs Billy”. His story takes us into a very different side of life in the royal household.

“Oh my goodness — it’s Buckingham Palace!” Even if you’ve seen it a thousand times in photographs, there’s something about standing on the crescent with the palace in front of you.

This is the palace of balcony appearances, royal weddings and crowds stretching down the Mall. But it began as a private house, and its journey to becoming the most recognisable royal address in the world wasn’t quite straightforward.

We’ll meet the monarchs who transformed it, hear about royal tastes and extravagant spending, and discover why being a palace doesn’t necessarily make somewhere a comfortable home.

We’ll also look up at the flag. What does it tell us — and what doesn’t it?

There’ll be time for photographs, of course. But I want you to leave with more than a picture of Buckingham Palace. I want you to have some stories to go with it.

Wellington Barracks is a working military home, just a short march from Buckingham Palace. Members of the Grenadier Guards are based here, and it’s where the New Guard assembles before heading to the palace for Changing the Guard.

Here, we’ll explore what goes into guarding a monarch. The uniforms might look identical at first glance, but their buttons and plumes tell you who’s who. I’ll show you what to look for.

And those enormous bearskins? We’ll talk about them too, along with some questions visitors often ask. Can a guard move or speak? What happens if someone gets in the way? And what do these soldiers do when they’re not on ceremonial duty?

It’s a chance to look beyond the postcard image and understand the people, traditions and practicalities behind the King’s Guard.

The Guards’ Chapel stands within Wellington Barracks, a place of worship and remembrance for the soldiers of the Household Division and their families. Here, our walk takes a quieter turn.

In June 1944, soldiers and civilians gathered for a Sunday morning service. What happened that morning devastated the chapel and brought the war into the heart of this military community.

I’ll tell you their story, and about something extraordinary that survived the destruction.

Away from the spectacle of palace gates and parade grounds, this stop brings us to remembrance, loss and the people behind the uniforms.

This is the end of our walk and what a way to finish: Westminster Abbey — the setting for centuries of coronations, royal weddings and royal farewells.

Kings and queens have been crowned here since 1066. But if you imagine every coronation has gone smoothly, think again. Behind the solemn ceremony are stories of mishaps, rivalries and people behaving in ways that weren’t always particularly regal.

And then there are the royals buried here. Death hasn’t always kept rivals far apart, and some of the arrangements might surprise you.

From William and Catherine’s wedding to Elizabeth II’s funeral and Charles III’s coronation, you may have watched this place make history on television. Now you’re standing here where it all happened.

With Westminster and St James’s Park Underground stations nearby, plenty of bus routes and river boats from Westminster Pier, there are lots of easy ways to continue your day — whether you’re heading to your next sight, back to your hotel or along the Thames.