Curated London Guides: Kings, Queens & Coronets
A royal day in London – from palace apartments to ceremonial splendour and the quiet corners of a thousand years.
London’s royal story is woven into every corner of the capital, from grand palaces and ceremonial traditions to hidden chapels and historic mews. Beginning just moments from The Egerton House Hotel, this carefully curated itinerary guides guests through some of the city’s most fascinating royal landmarks, balancing world-famous sights with lesser-known discoveries that reveal a more intimate side of the monarchy and its enduring legacy.
The Deeper History: A Black Cab Tour with Oliver
For guests who wish to extend the royal theme beyond the well-documented sites, Oliver Crane's cab tour can be shaped around less familiar royal history – the palaces that no longer exist, the London of Charles II, and the buildings that shaped the monarchy but rarely appear in royal itineraries. Oliver is a skilled and knowledgeable guide, and his tours adapt to the interests of his passengers. Please ask the Concierge to arrange.
MORNING: KENSINGTON PALACE
Begin at Kensington Palace, ten minutes' walk from the hotel and one of the more personal royal residences. The State Apartments were designed by Sir Christopher Wren and decorated under the direction of William Kent – the ceiling paintings in the King's Gallery are among the finest examples of English Baroque decorative art. The Sunken Garden, originally planted in 1909 and redesigned with white flowers in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, is a contained and very English kind of beauty. Almost nobody finds the Kensington Palace Orangery Café Garden, tucked to the north of the palace. It is one of the quieter spots in this part of London and a good place for a coffee before the day begins.
If your visit falls on a Sunday, St James's Palace opens its Queen's Chapel for morning services. It is rarely visited, holds only a small congregation, and is one of the most beautiful private chapels in the country – designed by Inigo Jones in 1623.
LATE MORNING: THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD
Leave Kensington Palace by 10.15 to reach Buckingham Palace comfortably before 11.00, when the Changing of the Guard begins. Arrive by 10.30 if you wish to find a good position. The ceremony itself is 45 minutes and is more musically varied than most visitors expect – the band frequently plays popular film scores and contemporary pieces alongside the ceremonial repertoire. The walk through St James's Park is the best approach, and affords the most photographed view of the palace from the bridge over the lake.
Another magic moment near here is when the pelicans in St James's Park are fed every afternoon at 2.30 by the park-keepers – one of those tiny, very London moments that most visitors miss entirely. The birds' ancestors were a diplomatic gift from the Russian Ambassador in 1664.
The Changing of the Guard
LUNCH: THE GRENADIER, WILTON ROW
Hidden in a Belgravia mews that is easy to miss even when looking for it, The Grenadier was the officers' mess of the First Royal Regiment of Foot Guards. The Duke of Wellington is said to have drunk here. It is a very small pub, with low ceilings and history in every corner. The Sunday roast is well regarded and the Bloody Mary is said to be one of the better ones in London. Ring the bell at the mews entrance.
AFTERNOON: THE ROYAL COLLECTIONS
The King’s Gallery, adjacent to Buckingham Palace, shows rotating exhibitions from the Royal Collection – one of the largest and most significant art collections in private hands, spanning Vermeer, Holbein, Rembrandt, and Leonardo da Vinci drawings that are only occasionally displayed. The Royal Mews next door houses the Gold State Coach (1762) and the Diamond Jubilee State Coach; both are still used for coronations and state occasions and are extraordinary objects at close range.
If time permits, Westminster Abbey deserves its own visit: every coronation since 1066 has taken place here. The Cosmati Pavement before the High Altar – a mosaic of coloured stone laid in 1268 – contains an inscription predicting the end of the world. It can only be seen when the carpet is rolled back on special occasions, but it is there.
The legendary Egerton Martini
EVENING: RETURN TO THE EGERTON
Return for a legendary Martini in the Drawing Room – a room that, after a day spent in the company of kings and queens, feels exactly as it should: intimate, quiet, and entirely one's own. The King’s drink of choice is also said to be a martini, so it would seem fitting.
Whether enjoying a perfectly crafted Martini in the Drawing Room or reflecting on the stories behind the crown, The Egerton is the ideal place to end a quintessentially British experience in the heart of Knightsbridge.
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