Buckingham Palace and the WWI Centenary

We ended our first day in London at Buckingham Palace which was as impressive as you could ever imagine. We didn't see anyone royal, but it was fun to imagine the royal family on the balcony as we have all seen on TV at so many momentous occasions. After seeing the crowds at the Tower of London on our bus tour, we went  early the next day to avoid the busiest times for visitors and hoped to get in without too much time spent in line. However, when we arrived, the area was fenced off and there was a huge police presence. It soon became apparent that "something" was going to happen. It was the centenary anniversary of England's involvement in World War I and many commemorations and memorial events were being held the week we were there. The day we arrived at the Tower, we found out that some member(s) of the Royal Family were expected to make an appearance. It was all very secretive, but we decided the folks with the enormous cameras might be the best source for the real scoop--this turned out to be an excellent hunch and soon we were told that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were expected. This seemed too good to be true, but sure enough, that's exactly who arrived along with Prince Harry. It was an amazing stroke of luck to have arrived for this event unawares. Here are the pictures of the Palace and Centenary event.

Buckingham Palace

Centenary Observance at the Tower of London

Each sculptured poppy is "planted" in memory of a British life lost in World War I.