For the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began, Changing the Guard has taken place at Buckingham Palace.
In an interview with Sky following the event on August 23rd 2021, the Garrison Sergeant Major of the Coldstream Guards, Andrew Stokes, said that “It’s been a long time coming.”
With a new Guard in place, the 1st Battalion the Coldstream Guards, tourists outside The Queen’s official London residence were treated to a medley of Olympics-inspired tunes to cheer for Team GB ahead of the Paralympic Games, which begin on August 24th 2021 in Tokyo.
The Guards played ‘Gold’ by Spandau Ballet, the theme from Chariots of Fire, and ‘One Moment in Time’ by Whitney Houston. For many of the musicians, this was their first time performing at Changing the Guard.
“Bearing in mind it’s been 18 months since we last did a ceremonial Changing the Guard [at Buckingham Palace],” said Garrison Sergeant Major Stokes. “There’s been an awful lot of hard work and preparation getting people up to standard.”
He continued: “The guardsmen enjoy it because lots of members of the public and tourists come and watch – sometimes up to 20,000 in the middle of summer.
“The musicians enjoy it because they get to practise their skill in front of a willing audience, and it instils an awful lot of pride knowing that all these people have come to watch these very young guardsmen and musicians.”
Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace had been paused since March 2020 due to the global health crisis. The ceremony at Windsor Castle resumed in July when lockdowns and restrictions eased.
The interval between March 2020 to 23 August 2021 was the longest break in the royal tradition since the Second World War.
Changing the Guard has existed as a function of protecting the monarch and the royal residences since 1660.
