The Covid Diaries 64 – The Gardens of Buckingham Palace

A review of the new garden tours of Buckingham Palace. Does exactly what it says on the tin – was it worth the online ticket queue of 20,000 people? Read on to find out.

Are They Letting Anyone In There These Days?

Pretty much. Every year, Buckingham Palace typically opens in the summer months for guided tours. This is the second year that Covid has disrupted normal programming. So the folks over at the Royal Collections Trust are getting creative. They have started this year by offering guided garden tours, will have limited tours of the State Rooms in a few months, and are also opening for picnics in the garden over the summer. This last part almost broke the internet: when I checked for tickets, there were more than 20,000 people in front of me. Having now visited the gardens I can’t quite see how they are going to pull it off without overexcited visitors destroying the garden… But anyway…

So What’s It Like To Visit?

Like I said earlier, it does what it says on the tin. This is definitely a garden tour. You gather in the Mews off Buckingham Palace Road, do a loop around London’s largest private garden, and then head out through the gift shop. There’s a bit of general information about Buckingham Palace and royal life, but the tour is mostly garden-focused. I quite liked this actually. The garden is beautiful, surprisingly peaceful and secluded, and it seems there’s always something blooming. It smelled wonderful, and must be lovely to spend time in. During the 90 minute tour I learned what the Head Gardener gets up to, how the garden has changed over time, and how the royal family makes use of it.

A few favourite anecdotes and incidents. I rather liked the Waterloo Vase – Napoleon initially commissioned it to celebrate his upcoming victory over Russia, but it ended up portraying rather a different outcome. I like the fact that the royal beehives keep up to date on happenings in the family (when Prince Philip died, the Head Gardner knocked on the hives to tell them). And there was an amusing arrival of a bunch of frisky ducks on the lawn halfway through the tour, proving that respect for royalty only goes so far.

Worth A Trip?

Respect for royalty is an interesting reflection, actually. When we visited Blenheim Palace last year I said how it was quite deferential to the family. Well you can’t get more deferential than touring the Queen’s private garden. I think again, though, you know what you’re getting into when you come here. So if you would like a nice couple of hours out, some interesting information and a lovely garden to look at, then check back for tickets regularly. If you’re more of a republican, then this probably isn’t the London weekend activity for you! I enjoyed it, and like the fact that I will now be able to visualise what’s over the rather drab palace walls.

On its own merits: 3/5
Implementing Covid rules: 5/5

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