Which days the guard changes
The Household Division's Changing the Guard page, run by the British Army's Household Division, gives the King's Guard at Buckingham Palace on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and the Windsor Castle Guard on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, both at 11am (checked 9 October 2026). Its schedule tab lists each day of the month and is the page to trust over any fixed rule.
| Place | What happens | When (October 2026 schedule) |
|---|---|---|
| Buckingham Palace | Guard Change | Mon, Wed, Fri at 11:00 |
| Buckingham Palace | Captain's Inspection, no handover | Tue, Thu, Sat at 15:00 |
| Buckingham Palace | Sunday Parade with the Colour | Sun 18 and 25 Oct at 10:00 |
| Windsor Castle | Guard Change | Most Tue, Thu, Sat at 11:00 |
| Horse Guards Parade | King's Life Guard change | Mon, Wed, Fri at 11:00 |
The Windsor rows in the October schedule do not cover every Tuesday: no guard change is listed for Windsor on 13 or 20 October. The schedule also names the unit and the band for each day, including days when 26 Engineer Regiment rather than a Foot Guards company mounts the guard.
The morning timeline
The Household Division publishes the troop movements and the ceremony in detail. Read together, the morning runs like this:
| Time | Where | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| 10:30 | Friary Court, St James's Palace (Marlborough Road) | Old Guard detachment inspected, then marches down The Mall with a band or drums |
| about 10:40 | Wellington Barracks, Birdcage Walk | New Guard and band inspected; band plays in a circle |
| 10:43 | Buckingham Palace forecourt | St James's Palace detachment enters by the South Centre Gate |
| 10:57 | Wellington Barracks | New Guard marches out towards the palace |
| about 11:00 | Palace forecourt | New Guard enters by the North Centre Gate; key handed over; band plays |
| about 11:35–11:45 | Forecourt and The Mall | Old Guard leaves for Wellington Barracks; St James's Palace guard marches back along The Mall |
The overview page gives a slightly different headline: the ceremony in front of the palace "at 1045", lasting about 45 minutes, with soldiers gathering at St James's Palace and Wellington Barracks from 10am. The difference is mostly about which moment counts as the start. The troop movements page also lists 10.43am as the time the Old Guard leaves St James's Palace, while the ceremony detail page has the same detachment entering the palace forecourt at 10.43am. Being in place by 10.30am covers every reading.
Where to stand
The Household Division does not name viewing spots, but its route description tells you what each position shows:
- Palace railings: the only place to see the handover inside the forecourt. The forecourt action happens from about 10.43am to 11.40am, so this is where you need to be earliest.
- Wellington Barracks, Birdcage Walk: the New Guard and band forming up and the band playing from about 10.40am, then the march out at 10.57am. You see the music up close but not the handover.
- The Mall: the Old Guard detachment from St James's Palace passes on its way to the palace at around 10.30–10.45am, and the St James's Palace guard marches back after the ceremony. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays the mounted King's Life Guard also rides along The Mall on its way to Horse Guards.
- Friary Court, St James's Palace: the 10.30am inspection of the Old Guard detachment, a smaller and earlier part of the ceremony.
When the King is in residence and the Royal Standard flies, the Foot Guards in the forecourt present arms as the Household Cavalry pass between the Queen Victoria Memorial and the palace.
If it rains or is cancelled
The overview page says ceremonial activity can be changed or cancelled at very short notice, especially in wet weather, and the decision can be taken as late as 10.45am on the day. There is no ticket to refund, so the cost of a cancellation is your morning.
If you have more than one day in London, aim for the earliest change day of your stay so that a cancellation leaves you another try on the next change day. The Captain's Inspection at 3pm on the days between is an inspection, not a handover, though the October schedule names a band for each one. At Horse Guards (below), the Household Division says the mounted regiment stands guard every day, whatever the season or weather, and the mounted sentries on Whitehall are there from 10am to 4pm.
Horse Guards: the mounted guard
The King's Life Guard page describes a separate ceremony by the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment on Horse Guards Parade:
- Monday, Wednesday, Friday: the guard leaves Hyde Park Barracks at 10.28am, rides via Hyde Park Corner, Constitution Hill and The Mall, and the change takes place on Horse Guards Parade at 11am.
- Tuesday and Thursday: the patrol, between 10.30am and 11.15am.
- Saturday and Sunday: the duty officer's inspection at 11am.
- Every day: two mounted sentries at the Whitehall entrance from 10am to 4pm, changed every hour, and a dismounted inspection at 4pm.
The Life Guard schedule page notes that ceremonial duties were suspended from 17 to 29 August 2026 for stable works, so check it for any new notice before you go (checked 9 October 2026). Because Horse Guards and Buckingham Palace both change at 11am on the same three days, pick one for 11am and catch the other another way: the cavalry riding along The Mall before 11am, or the 4pm dismounted inspection at Horse Guards.
Windsor Castle instead
The Household Division's Windsor page gives Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 11am, weather permitting, with no ceremony on Sundays. The 45-minute ceremony takes place inside the Castle Precincts, so you need a Windsor Castle ticket to watch it. If you are weighing Windsor against other day trips, see the London train day trips compared.
Fitting it into a day
A guard change morning sits well before an afternoon in the City. St Paul's Cathedral sells sightseeing tickets until 4pm last entry, Monday to Saturday; see St Paul's Cathedral tickets and the dome climb. For a zone 1 plan that keeps fares down, see three days in London without wasting fares.