Horse Guards Parade was once the site for the Palace of Whitehall’s jousting and other tournaments which were held during the reign of Henry VIII. Since then it was used for a variety of ceremonies as well as being the Headquarters of the British Army.
The Palace of Whitehall, the largest palace in Europe at that time, was destroyed by fire in 1698 and replaced by the present Horse Guards building in 1753.
After being a government car park during the twentieth century, in April 1993, the Royal Parks Review Group recommended that Horse Guards Parade should be restored for public use.
Horse Guards Parade is the ceremonial parade ground for the Trooping the Colour on the monarch’s official birthday.
