Each year, two major royal ceremonies take place, and you can request tickets to attend them.

Trooping the Colour

The annual dose of pomp and ceremony in Horseguards where lots of people march around the gravel covered square and salute the Queen on her dais.

Tickets for seated stands around Horse Guards Parade are allocated by ballot with entry permitted during January February only.

To request tickets, there’s now a simple online form to complete (used to be letters in the post).

If your name comes up, you can request up to 4 tickets, and will be asked to pay £40 per ticket. I’d also take up the option for the tickets to be posted to you, as then you have a tangible souvenir of the day, rather than just an email.

On the day, there is a strict dress code — of smart appearance, expect gents in ties and jackets and ladies in hats.

After years of entering the ballot, your correspondent finally attended in 2018, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

To enter the ballot – go here.

(There is also the option to just buy tickets to the rehearsals — they’re same event, just without the Monarch)

Garter Ceremony

This is a fairly recent resurrection of an ancient tradition that takes place inside Windsor Castle each June. I attended a few years back, and it was rather enjoyable.

Although there’s arguably far more pomp on display at Garter Day, and many more fancy uniforms, it’s also much more relaxed than the Trooping the Colour, with people in casual clothes picnicking on the grass inside the castle as the royals and nobles go past.

To request tickets, send an email in January or February only to GarterDay@royal.uk with your name/address. You can request up to four tickets, which are free of charge.

An alternative option – and one that comes with rather better seating – is to join the Friends of St George’s Chapel, as that includes an opportunity to get tickets to Garter Day, amongst other things.