Buckingham Palace, England

Buckingham Palace is one of the few working royal palaces remaining in the world today. It serves as both the office and London residence of the Queen and also as the busy administrative headquarters of the monarchy. Probably it has the most famous and recognizable facade of any building in the world. It is the venue for great Royal ceremonies, State Visits and Investitures, all of which are organized by the Royal Household.

During summer, visitors can take a tour around the nineteen State Rooms, which are decorated with some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection, which includes paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Vermeer, Poussin, Canaletto and Claude; sculpture by Canova and Chantrey, exquisite examples of Sevres porcelain, and some of the finest English and French furniture in the world.

The Changing of the Guard takes place at the front of the Palace. During the summer it is one of the popular events for visitors, occurs at 11:30 every day. Since 1660, Household Troops have guarded the Sovereign and the Royal Palaces. The Queen’s Guard usually consists of Foot Guards in full-dress uniform of red tunics and bearskins.