Westminster

St. James's Palace

The Mall London SW1

St. James Palace - photo courtesy S Worsfold

This beautiful red brick building was built by King Henry VIII and was the principal Royal residence during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and in the 17th and early 18th centuries. 

Foreign Ambassadors are still officially accredited to "the Court of St. James." You can see the Tudor Clock Court - from the balcony here the Garter King of Arms announced in 1952 on the death of King George VI  "The King is dead - Long Live the Queen!". 

The huge Tudor gatehouse to the Palace is on the north side of the palace overlooking Pall Mall.

St. James's Palace is not normally open to the public,  but if you are lucky enough to have a young relative who has completed every section of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme and has been awarded the Duke of Edinburgh's Gold Award for Achievement this is usually presented to the recipient within the beautiful rooms of the Palace, in the presence of the Duke himself and several members of the Royal family.

You can also visit the Chapel Royal of St. James' Palace every Sunday for Divine Service.  This was the Chapel in which the body of Diana Princess of Wales rested the night before her funeral. The Sunday services are not advertised - but you get there by 9.30am and join the queues. Morning worship follows the rites of the Church of England. The chapel is - again -  an architectural delight and worth the effort to gain access...

Nearest Tube station: Green Park.

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