The Changing of the Guard is London’s most famous ceremony — but most visitors miss the best viewpoint and leave confused. Here’s what’s really happening — plus get weekly London stories free in our newsletter.
Walk the King’s Road and you might spot a figure in scarlet — a Chelsea Pensioner. Around 300 retired soldiers have called the Royal Hospital Chelsea home since 1682, living inside a Wren masterpiece that hosts the Chelsea Flower Show every May.
In 1950, four Glasgow University students broke into Westminster Abbey on Christmas night and stole Britain’s ancient Coronation Stone. They drove it back to Scotland and were never prosecuted.
Henry VIII stole Hampton Court from his own cardinal and never gave it back. Discover the full story of England’s most dramatic royal palace, just 35 minutes from London.
Discover why a hilltop in South East London has been setting the world’s clocks since 1675 — and why 25 nations voted to make Greenwich the centre of time.
Stand in Trafalgar Square and something hits you before your brain catches up. The deliberate design that still stops Londoners and visitors in their tracks, two centuries on.
Discover the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace — transformed in honour of Princess Diana, filled with white blooms and free to visit all year round.
The Tower of London has kept six ravens for nearly 350 years by royal decree. If they leave, legend says Britain will fall. This is the story of the birds and the man whose job is to keep them.
