Over the past 900 years the royal Court has moved several times. Initially it was based in the City, moving to the Palace of Westminster under Edward the Confessor (1003-1066), then to Whitehall under Henry VIII (1491-1597) and then to St James's Palace under Charles II (1630-1685). Although the latter remained the monarch's official residence for close to two centuries, its lack of a palatial feel eventually motivated Queen Victoria (1819-1901) to move the Royal Court of the much more lavish surroundings of Buckingham Palace.

Built as Buckingham House for the Duke of Buckingham in 1705, the building was bought by George III (1738-1820) in 1761, who subsequently converted it into a palace. Several stages of construction followed. In 1825 John Nash enlarged and re-built it and in 1847 the two eastern wings were linked while the main gateway, Marble Arch, was moved to its present site.

The last major re-development occurred in !913 under the guidance of Aston Webb, when the façade and main gates, bearing the Royal Coat of Arms, were added, along with the memorial to Queen Victoria in front of the Palace gates. From both these vantage points you can observe the Changing of the Guard, one of the most popular and famous ceremonies in the world. The royal family live in the north wing of the palace and when the royal standard flies over the palace you'll know that Her Majesty is in residence.

Despite being the Queen's official place of residence, the palace is open to the public between 7 August and 1 October each year when the Court moves for the summer vacation. Several of the palace'ssectors can be viewed. These include some of the state apartments, the Queen's Gallery, which houses some of the finest private collections of art and furniture, the Royal Mews, which is home to the household's horses and coaches. Among the exhibits on display here are the 230 year old Gold State Coach which has been used for every coronation since George IV's in 1820 and the Glass Coach in which Lady Diana Spencer rode from Clarence House on her way to St Paul's Cathedral for her marriage to Prince Charles. Finally there is the Guards Museum which displays a collection of uniforms and traces the Guard's history for the Crimean War to the expedition to the Gulf.

With the Olympic Games in 2012 being hosted by London there is even more reason to plan a visit to London.

More Historical Places to visit in London:

* Roman Londinium
* Houses of Parliament
* Greenwich & Greenwich Park
* Hampton Court
* St. James's Palace
* Inns of Court LONDON
* St Paul's Cathedral
* The Tower of London
* Trafalgar Square
* Westminster Abbey

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