Changing of the Guard.Photo: CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty
Buckingham Palace has hosted its first Changing of the Guard since COVID-19 forced the historic London event to besuspended in March 2020.
On Monday, soldiers from the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards donned their famous scarlet tunics and bearskin hats outsideQueen Elizabeth’s London home to take part in the ceremonial event for the first time in just over 17 months.
Alongside them the Band of The Coldstream Guards played a range of tunes in honour of Britain’s Olympic team, including Spandau Ballet’s 1983 hitGold, Whitney Houston’sOne Moment In Time, andThe Olympic Themefrom Oscar-winning movieChariots of Fire.
Changing of the Guard.CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty
The renowned Palace ceremony was halted last year along with those at Windsor Castle, the Tower of London and St. James’s Palace as part of the U.K. government’s drive to avoid large public gatherings and slow the spread of the coronavirus.
While guardsmen have continued to occupy their sentry positions outside Buckingham Palace it has been in an ‘Administrative Guard Mount’ where they have changed over personnel with no ceremony or music of any kind.
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Changing of the Guard at Windsor Castle.Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty
The palace ceremony follows on the heels of thefirst post-lockdowns Changing of the Guardat Windsor Castle in July, which saw the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards return to the cobbled streets of Queen Elizabeth’s private home, where she isolated for the majority of the pandemic with her late husband,Prince Philip.
In July,Prince CharlesandCamilla, Duchess of Cornwallalso invited the band of the Coldstream Guards to play English soccer anthems “Three Lions” and “Sweet Caroline” in the garden of Clarence House to celebrate the success of the England soccer team at the Euro 2020 championships.
source: people.com
