Horse Guards Parade & the Household Cavalry Museum

Trooping the Colour (also known as the King’s Birthday Parade) is held each year on the king’s official birthday, usually the Friday prior to the Spring Bank Holiday. Tickets are much sought-after and are allocated by ballot in March (applications should be made in January or February to the Brigade Major of the HQ Household Division).

As it is unlikely that you’ll nab tickets for the Trooping the Colour, the main attraction for most tourists is the Changing of the King’s Life Guard, which is held daily at Horse Guards Parade. This is a great opportunity to witness Royal pageantry and many people prefer this changing of the guards to the more well-known Changing of the Guards ceremony at Buckingham Palace (most likely because the ceremony is less crowded here than at Buckingham Palace).

The Horse Guards complex is also home to the Household Cavalry Museum, which has a collection of ceremonial uniforms and musical instruments including two silver kettledrums that King William IV presented to the regiment in 1832. Other exhibits include the cork leg that belonged to the first Marquess of Anglesey (who lost his original one at Waterloo). Visitors also have the opportunity to view the working stables where the horses are groomed and feed.

What to see in the Household Cavalry Museum

The Household Cavalry is made up of the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals, two of the most senior regiments in the British Army. The Household Cavalry is part of the Household Division, which functions as the King’s official bodyguard. These two regiments and the Household Division, in general, comprise the focus of the Household Cavalry Museum.

This is a living museum in the sense that you are able to see members of the Household Cavalry going about their job as they work with horses in the original stables that date from the 18th century. However, the museum shows that the Household Cavalry is more than just a key part of Britain’s famed pageantry; as the regiment currently also has units deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. The museum also has exhibits about the history of the regiment and there is a video about the training the Household Cavalry have with the horses.

Visitors to the museum are able to dress up in the uniform of the King’s Life Guard and see the stables where the Cavalry look after their horses.

Visiting the Household Cavalry Museum

The Household Cavalry Museum is on Whitehall, south of Trafalgar Square. It is located around midway between Charing Cross and Westminster tube stations and buses 3, 11, 12, 24, 53, 87, 88, 159 and 453 stop outside.

The ticket price allows you to borrow multimedia touchscreen devices with audio tours in English, French, German, Italian, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. You should allow an hour to visit the museum if you are following the audio tour.

The museum may be closed on select days during May and June for security purposes.

Watching the Changing of the King’s Life Guard

Watching the Changing of the King’s Life Guard is the most popular activity here and most visitors come to watch the Changing of the King’s Life Guard and then leave without visiting the museum.

The Changing of the King’s Life Guard takes place daily on Horse Guards Parade (Mon–Fri 11am, Sun 10am). It is best to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the ceremony. There is no charge to watch the Changing of the King’s Life Guard.

Watching the Daily Inspection

Although Daily Inspection may not have quite the same level of pageantry as the Changing of the King’s Life Guard, it has the benefit of not being quite as busy; however, some people who enjoyed the morning ceremony return in the afternoon to watch the Daily Inspection.

The Daily Inspection takes place every day at 4pm on the Front Yard on Whitehall. There is no charge to watch the daily inspection.