Which Palace... Hampton Court or Windsor Castle?
 

Traveling to London in early July with our 12 yr old daughter. Will be her first time in the UK and she really wants to explore a palace. Unfortunately we will miss the Buckingham Palace tour opportunity since we leave London before they start summer tours. :( However, we will be taking her to see Buckingham Palace (possibly the changing of the guards) and the Tower of London. We are in London 5.5 days so we have time to do a short day trip and would love to know your thoughts on visiting Hampton Court Palace vs. Windsor Castle?

The Hampton Court Garden Festival is on from 4-9 July. You would need separate tickets for that.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/...arden-festival

That will affect visiting the gardens, but I imagine the maze will still be accessible.
You can get there by boat along the Thames.

Windsor Castle has Queen Mary's Dolls house which may appeal to your daughter and of course the town of Windsor and Eton college just over the Thames. It is obviously the more ancient building but it is where the Queen lived, and is buried.

Both are terrific for families.

Hampton Court has the gorgeous buildings, Henry VIII/Anne Boleyn connections, the wonderful Tudor Kitchens, Privy Garden and the Great Fountain Garden. The Flower Festival doesn't really affect visiting Hampton Court Palace/the Maze/much of the grounds. It is best to take the train to the Palace and then IF the weather in nice, you can take a boat back into central London. I wouldn't take a boat TO the Palace because it is a long journey and you couldn't get to Hampton Court until mid-afternoon.

Windsor has the spectacular State Rooms, St George's Chapel, the amazing Dolls House. Your daughter will have seen lots of bits and pieces over the Queens Funeral so may be on her 'must' list??

Either will make a great half+ day trip from central London -- without the great interest in the recent Queen's passing I would normally recommend HCP for a family outing but now I'd really rate them equally.

As for Buckingham Palace - I personally would not bother with the Guard Change - it will eat up an entire morning. You'd have to arrive quite early to get a good view point . . . and then have to just stand there for close to 2 hours until the band arrives. You can easily walk by and see that Palace just in your normal sightseeing. BTW - There is a band accompanied Changing of the Guard at Windsor Castle which is MUCH easier to see.

I always enjoyed visits to Windsor, mostly for the Castle but also the town for shopping and eating. We haven't visited Windsor Castle for a long time so things will have changed but we asked for a 'pass out' so we could go and get some lunch in the town then come back to continue our visit. Eton is also within walking distance.

You might find the Royal Collection Trust helpful - https://www.rct.uk/

Perhaps ask your daughter if she prefers history or current events, although Windsor offers both.

I agree with nyse. There is enough info about both with highlights to let her decide.