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The parade is supposed to be marching past at 11 AM so I thought I'd better get here by 9 AM at the latest, but the streets are still empty at ten. It's been drizzling with rain all day so maybe that's what has kept the crowds away.
In my search for the perfect spot I walked the entire route from Buckingham Palace down the Mall, through the centre of Horse Guards and all the way up to the Houses of Parliament. Unfortunately you need a pass to get past Westminster Abbey (the coppers are stopping everyone from going further), so I've ended up in Parliament Square opposite Big Ben, about fifteen feet from the Winston Churchill statue.
At 10.15 AM the coppers start blocking off the surrounding streets and fence everyone into Parliament Square. No one else has been allowed in since, so about fifty of us have got the entire square to ourselves! We're watching the public cramming up against the barriers down Whitehall while we're standing nice and comfy with five-feet of personal space each. So here's my advice: arrive at least ninety minutes before the parade starts (two hours if it's not raining) and stand on the Big Ben corner of Parliament Square. With a bit of luck the police will box you in before the tourist hordes arrive.
Soldiers from the Foot Guards
We know the parade is getting closer because the Foot Guards have started lining the street. First of all we get a wall of armed police staring at us from across the barrier, eyeing us up in case we look a bit shifty (which I do), and then the Foot Guards turn up with their machine guns and ceremonial swords. The sergeant then marches past with his measuring stick to make sure they're all standing exactly ten paces apart whilst the police, on the other hand, just stand around yakking and chatting and joking with the crowd. You can actually have a conversation and a bit of a laugh with them which helps to pass the time.
Just before 11 AM a fleet of limos drive past with foreign flags on their bonnets. Presumably they must be full of diplomats and visiting dignitaries, but you can't really tell because their windows are all blacked out. After that the parade starts proper.
Cavalry from the Household Division
If you're expecting to see hundreds of horses and thousands of soldiers then you're going to go home disappointed because the State Opening of Parliament is not like Trooping the Colour. There's a couple of marching bands and one hundred horses at the most, and maybe a few hundred soldiers in total -- the entire parade passed us by in two to three minutes.
The King in the State coach
I didn't even manage to see the King because I had the camera pressed up against my face (a rookie mistake). It was only when I got home later and watched the footage that I worked out he was sitting in a closed carriage. That was followed by another carriage with four more Royals inside, but I haven't got a clue who they are -- not even now, even after watching the video with a magnifying glass. They should make them wear name badges or something. That was followed by Princess Anne sitting an open-top carriage, and that was basically it. I didn't see Camilla, William or Kate.
After the parade the King disappears inside Parliament to deliver his speech to the House of Lords, and you have to stand in the rain for forty-five minutes waiting for the return trip.
So is it worth it? Of course it is! These parades are always great, but if I had to choose between Trooping the Colour and the State Opening of Parliament then it really is no contest -- it's Trooping the Colour every time.
If you enjoy Houses of Parliament then you might like to visit Big Ben (you can walk it in less than 2 mins), Downing Street (you can walk it in 6 mins) and Parliament Square (you can walk it in less than 3 mins). The other big annual parade is Trooping the Colour. You can see some more soldiers, horses and marching bands at Changing the Guard
The author Craig Cross owns city-guide.london and has spent the last decade reviewing the capital’s landmarks, attractions and hotels. His guidebook London Squire is available from Amazon
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Your comments and questions
rob Does the state opening of parliament happen every year?
Craig Hi Rob. It does, but the date changes around a bit. It's either held soon after a general election or on the first day of the parliamentary session, and because general elections are usually held in May most of the time it happens in May as well
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