Buckingham Palace is the London residence and administrative headquarters of the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality.

Buckingham Palace is one of the residences Queen Elizabeth II spends her time and if the Queen is home, the yellow, red and blue standard is flying. Some 19 lavishly furnished State Rooms are open to visitors when HRH (Her Royal Highness) takes her holidays from late July to September.

Hung with artworks by the likes of Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Canaletto, Poussin and Vermeer, the State Rooms are open for two-hour tours that include the Throne Room, with his-and-hers pink chairs initialed 'ER' and 'P'. Access is by timed tickets with admission every 15 minutes (audio guide included).

If not visiting the palace itself, the changing of the Queen's Life Guard at the entrance to Horse Guards is worth seeing. Horse Guards is the official main entrance to both St James' Palace and Buckingham Palace. The guard is on horseback from 10 am until 4 pm, with the two sentries changing every hour.