We'll be in London during this event and I really want to see it or the parade. I realize the chance of getting tickets (which I've requested per instructions) is very small. What is the parade route like? Do you need to get there very early? Is it a crazy jostling madhouse?

We will be staying at the Renaissance Chancery Court primarily because I got a good rate and it gets such good reviews. I realize Rubens at the Palace or Royal Horseguards would have gotten me much closer to this one event. Is the walk from our hotel to the Mall a long one? I'm looking at the map but it's hard to tell. What would be the best, most scenic route to take? It will be our first morning in London and we might enjoy the walk as much as the parade!

I've only been a few times to see the procession, but the crowds along the Mall are usually three or four deep, so you tend to be looking over people's heads. But I wouldn't call it a madhouse. To see the ceremony, the best view, of course, is on TV, either live, or in the evening roundup. But if you go in person, you might be able to see the gun salute in Green Park before the procession, and the flypast and balcony appearance at 1pm.

If I'm right that the Chancery Court is the former Pearl Assurance building in High Holborn, I'd allow a good 45 minutes to walk from Holborn and see a few things en route. You're aiming for Trafalgar Square to go through Admiralty Arch for the Mall. From Holborn to Trafalgar Square, I'd cross Kingsway, walk down and turn left into Great Queen St, left into Bow St to the Royal Opera House. If the passage through their foyer is open, go through there to Covent Garden piazza, otherwise carry on down to Russell St to get to the piazza. Leave the piazza on the north side (to the right of St Paul's) down King St to New Row, turn left on St Martin's Lane (have a little peek at Goodman's Court on the left) and follow it down to Trafalgar Square. You will be passing St Martin's Church, the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, and you'll get a view of Whitehall and Westminster.

Admiralty Arch is on the opposite corner. You'd need to walk through past the junction where the procession turns to Horse Guards Parade, and depending on your timing, you might find yourself confined to the north side of the Mall.

The 91 bus runs between Holborn Station and Trafalgar Square.

You're right about the location of the hotel. Thank you so much for the detailed directions - and even the bus to take! We'll be getting in late the night before so this day will be our very first look at London. How exciting!

I think my family has reservations about spending so much time "trying to see the queen". But, for me, to be IN London on this special occasion and not try to participate a bit would be such a shame.

Just another crazy American trying to get in touch with their British heritage, I guess...

I live in Washington, DC, and the last live president I saw was Nixon (Yeah, I'm ancient).

The best sitings (up close and personal) of famous people often occur by accident. In 1991 QE II was in town and my son saw her totally by accident. I asked him how close he was to her and his response was: "She has a lot of wrinkles on her face. Ha ha! He was 9 at the time and I made him write it all down and put it in his file.

I have seen QE II on 2 occasions (both at the Braemar Games in Scotland) but never close enough to count the wrinkles.

Mostly the best seats for mega events are right in front of your TV. I know, I am jaded. I guess it comes from living in Washington, DC, where you can see a senator in a coffee shop and Roger Mudd at the dry cleaners.

All the living presidents came to the opening of the Clinton Library here. I saw them from a great distance and in the pouring rain! Undoubtedly the best view of this event was on TV, but there's something about being there...

Well, you can say you have seen them anyway. When I was younger I used to love celebrity sightings and get excited. I've seen The Queen, I've seen the Pope (John Paul II), etc., and organizing myself to go to some event so that I can say I saw someone is not what I do anymore. It takes a lot of doing and probably some waiting and then, so what?

If The Queen invites me for tea, I'd go. Otherwise I don't care.

Perhaps this jaded attitude results from living in Washington where their kids go to school with yours at the local public school.

I do have one story (sorry, about my son again). My son was watching TV one day and said to me, "Isn't that Mrs. X's husband?" My reply was, "Yes. He has a job being on TV." I then called Mrs. X and we had a laugh about it. My son was about 7-9 years old and had no clue that the Mr. X involved was a famous person. I knew Mrs. X from the PTA.

You can't see the ceremony itself from anywhere on the parade route, except on the bit of Horseguards Road directly opposite Horseguards Parade. And that is the bit of the route where crowds are densest, and only those at hte front really see anything.

Otherwise, on the parade route, you're probably waiting for an hour between the arriving and departing parades. One way of seeing more is from Duke of York's Steps, which run down to The Mall from Waterloo Place, just off Pall Mall. Although you're a few yards back from the parade, you're several feet above the crowd, and get a much better view.

All of which said, the only way of seeing the ceremony, other than having tickets for Horseguards Parade (fuggedaboutit) is on TV.

I'm as blasé about it as flanner, but the fact that there's an evening replay of the ceremony on TV allows you to get something of both worlds.

Great! You guys have me all lined out - how to get there and where to stand. If it gets to be too much, I'll just break away and start my meandering!

Update on my Trooping the Colour progress for those who would like to write for tickets. I received a nice fat letter from the Headquarter Household Division letting me know that my application has been registered and apologizing for the "standard, rather impersonal reply", but assuring me I would hear from them in April if chosen to attend...

I know how unlikely it is to get those rare tickets to the actual event - and paying for them with a cheque in sterling from a Bank of the United Kingdom might be difficult to figure out from here - but the process and the letter itself has been a fun "looking forward to our trip to London" experience!

Hi C,

>..and paying for them with a cheque in sterling...<

www.xe.com might be able to help you.

crazy4Hawaii, if you're still hanging around Fodor's (you're still in "the system" when I click on your name), I sure would love to hear whether you got those tickets. And, if not, whether you were able to catch any of the festivities.

.......and I would like to know what you thought of the Renaissance Chancery Court as that is where we plan on staying in June (Thanks for topping this Caph52).

Have you thought about watching one of the rehearsals?

CW, not sure to whom you addressed that... If it's the OP, this is an old thread that I pulled up hoping to get info from the OP. Sorry for any confusion it may have caused.

If it was meant for me, I would love to watch one of the rehearsals. But we won't be there until the evening before the real thing.

Thanks for the suggestion though!

Hi, Happy! My pleasure! I hope we hear from the OP.