Tea With The Queen


How many times have Americans joked
about going to Buckingham Palace for 
tea with the Queen?

I mean, personally, I've heard it 
at least 100 times 
since we moved to England.

The worldwide total would be a number 
that rivaled the number of girls (and their mothers)
who dream of winning Prince Harry's heart.

Seriously though,
it's a silly statement 
because 
-obviously-
the notion of having tea
at Buckingham Palace is simply ludicrous.

Except for the fact, 
you actually can have tea at Buckingham Palace.

{Who knew?}



While the Queen is away for the late summer 
exploring her castles in Scotland,
Buckingham Palace opens to the public
for a 1.5 hour tour of the state rooms.

Apparently, visiting the palace 
must be a well-kept secret 
within the English geriatric community...

as 90% of the guests were females over 75.

{I suppose a girl's dreams of being a princess are timeless.}




This summer, the Duchess of Cambridge's dress was on display.

I got to see it even closer up than 
from my abbey-side perch 

It was displayed in the Ball Room
that the wedding reception was held in,
and designer, Sarah Burton,
was featured on video 
discussing the design features
 of Kate's iconic dress.

Most of us have been to the White House or a castle on a trip at some point,
but I have to say-
no home I have ever seen
begins to rival the opulence of Buckingham Palace.

That place is no joke.

{Though no pictures are allowed inside so you'll just have to trust me.}

Bravo, England.

Not only do you let a commoner marry into the Royal Family,
but you let schleppy folk like myself
tour your home
and have tea on your back porch.


the cafe overlooking the garden. too gorgeous to explain.

we had to break the rule, and order a mid-day cappucino.... just for the crown.



Made me feel right at home...
in fact, 
I could get used to living in a place like that.




The other great thing 
was the gift shop in her backyard.

Basically,
the nicest yard sale...
 ever.



Seriously, look at the crowd here. It could rival an Alaskan cruise.


The store offers some really great merchandise:
china, lotions, soaps, towels, ornaments & chocolates.

I bought myself really posh
 (but disappointingly unused by HRH)
shower cap.

{I'm not kidding.}

The walk out the to the back gate
felt like a stroll through Central Park.







Pinkies up!




If you are looking for a place 
that almost feels as fancy & nice as Buckingham,
head to my friend, Debby's blog
and check out my feature for fall!


Debby's blog is great,
and I highly recommend it for your daily blog reads!

For more information on taking your own tour of Buckingham Palace,
check here for openings & dates when the palace is open to the public.

Pre-ordering your tickets is recommended and simple.



24 comments:

  1. The crown on the cappuccino is superb - I'm a peasant, I drink cappuccino after dinner too!

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  2. Too jealous to formulate real sentence. Amazing!

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  3. Swoon! That is the posh-est cappuccino I've ever set eyes on...

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  4. what the heck. stop making me so jealous! i lol-ed at the shower cap. that's something i would do…but not to use it. just to have and hold. p.s. my pinky goes up without me thinking about it. was i a born royalton? is that a word? i just made it up. i think it's just because i have tiny hands and my pinky doesn't really work. in fact, it's up right now as i type.

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  5. Wow! I had no idea! I die over that cappuccino! Have a wonderful day honey!

    I hope you can enter my 2 year blogoversary giveaway! It's fabulous!

    http://www.blondeepisodes.com/2011/09/its-giveaway-happy-blogoversary-blonde.html

    Kori xoxo

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  6. You know I am so jealous! Oh my word. I need to come back NOW!!

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  7. Oh. My. God. I can't even express how jealous I am right now! That looks amazing! What a fantastic experience!

    http://adventuresofatype-a.blogspot.com/

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  8. Goodness! What a magical experience! Love love love all the photos and I adored your post on Debbie's Blog. She is great, isnt' she? And you are equally lovely.

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  9. Your blog is just such a feast for my poor, US Midwestern eyes. I am so jealous - what a beautiful and fun day! That cappuccino and cake looks almost too beautiful to eat, but I bet it was delish! Thank you for another lovely post!

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  10. who knew?? i'm completely green with envy right now - i mean, tea? at buckingham palace?? check that off the bucket list!! :)

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  11. I think you need to model the shower cap. :-)

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  12. One, you are too cute. Two, I laughed outloud at the Alaskan cruise lines, because they're 100% true. Three, I'm so jealous!! You have the BEST abroad experiences!

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  13. I come to your blog from Inspired Design and I'm in love!! First of all I love the way you write and you're so pretty...your positive energy shines right through. I will be following!
    xo
    Sharon

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  14. I loved this post! I didn't realise you could visit the palace either until last week! Your line about dreaming of becoming a princess no matter what your age was so sweet! Glad you had a nice time - it looks like yummy tea! Will have to visit next year! :) x

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  15. Ha ha.. you are a riot... don't know if my blog can compare w/ Buckingham but it was definitely a little more special yesterday w/ you visiting! I would love to see Buckingham and browse the little shop and raise my pinkie in salute to the queen! xo

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  16. I love it! We went to London this summer and when I found out the dress was going to be on display, I bought tickets online. Thank God I did b/c when we got there everything was sold out and there were massive crowds waiting to get in. It was fun touring the palace (when will I have the chance to do something like that again??) Love your blog! :-)

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  17. The crown in the cappucino is amazing! Seriously, your life is the most exciting ever. You're inspiring me to try & find some unique experiences that maybe I've been missing out in D.C. Coffee with Obama? Can I get that to work?!

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  18. Love the crown topper in the cappuccino! This is simply fantastic.

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  19. I never would have known that all of that was available at Buckinham Palace - the tea, gift shop, etc. How wonderful! And I would love to have seen Kate's dress up close - you lucky girl!

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  20. You know when I went, about 5 years ago this April, I bought a book on the Royal Weddings and all the traditions! :)
    I still have it and love it, and I feel like you would love something like that too!
    It had all the weddings from Queen Victoria to Queen Elizabeth II and her sister Anne's wedding! It's fabulous! And I got in in the shop just like that one! :)

    http://annawalker1992.blogspot.com/

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  21. This is something I regret not doing on my recent trip to London. It looks so lovely!

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  22. I've never done the tour.. & now I really want to because of that coffee. How shameful!!! hehe.

    M x www.whatwegandidnext.com

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  23. Wow, it really looks like a fantastic place to visit. The food you had at the cafe looks really pretty and delicate!

    Have a great weekend :)



    Paula
    www.theseagreenjournal.com

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