Latest news with #YeomanWarders
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
Former RAF officer from Cardiff becomes Tower of London Beefeater
A former RAF Warrant Officer from Cardiff has been selected as a Yeoman Warder (YW) at the Tower of Harris served in the RAF for more than 36 years, during which time he was deployed for tours to Northern Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Cyprus. Nicknamed Beefeaters, it is a position introduced by Henry VII in 1485 to help guard the fortress and YW Harris is thought to be the first Welsh Beefeater in more than a decade. YW Harris described his appointment as an immense honour, and said he was "extremely proud to represent Wales". As one of 35 who live and work at the tower, YW Harris said he has enjoyed settling into his "quirky new home within the tower's vibrant community". He said he left Cardiff in 1988 and has worked at stations all over the UK with the RAF, but it means an "awful lot" to him to be able to represent the national heritage."At the end of my career it's great to be allowed to continue the historical elements of service life," he said. Describing what it was like to put on the uniform, YW Harris said you just "cannot imagine" the feeling. "It was immense" he said, adding it was "such an immensely proud moment". "I have a lot to learn and will be focused on learning the tower's history and legends before I am ready to share these with our visitors, so the next few months are going to be incredibly exciting."Part of the criteria for becoming a YW is a minimum of 22 years' service with the military, to hold the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, and to have reached the rank of warrant officer or equivalent, before being selected for the coming months, YW Harris will learn "the story" – the script of the famous Yeoman Warder tour, in verbatim, before he can lead his own tours of the Tower of London. He will also be required to learn the 21 separate duties conducted by the Yeoman Body each day, including the Ceremony of the Keys, a closing ceremony that has taken place every single night for at least 700 years.A devoted sportsman, YW Harris is known to be a supporter of Welsh rugby, Cardiff City FC, and the Cardiff Devils Ice Hockey club, having coached the RAF Ice Hockey team to four successive inter-service championships during his previous career.
Time Out
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
The best tourist attraction in London
It's not difficult to see why tourists flock to London in their millions each and every year. Steeped in centuries of history and teeming with all sorts of culture, London isn't short on things to do or see. Some people may come here for the food, others for the history, some for the architecture, others for the art, music and nightlife. But there are several sights in the city that are considered unmissable for anyone popping their London cherry. To find out which of them are the most popular, researchers budget hotel chain, Travelodge, quizzed 13,500 people on their favourite London tourist attraction. The votes were counted and (drumroll please) the Tower of London came out on top. Attracting more than three million people a year, the tower houses 900 years worth of British history, from Henry VIII's codpiece to medieval torture tools to the dazzling Crown Jewels. If you have plans to visit the Tower, we recommend joining a tour led by one of the costumed Yeoman Warders (aka Beefeaters) who live and work there. Time Out contributing writer Alex Sims said: 'They're a fun bunch, filling their talks full of jokes and fun jibes, as well as nitty gritty details you won't find in the guidebook.' Covent Garden, synonymous with theatre, shopping, street entertainment and fine dining, was the second most popular place, according to Travelodge's survey. It's got the spectacular Royal Opera House, the iconic central piazza that hosts Covent Garden market and a bunch of Time Out-approved restaurants, like Savoy Grill, Tandoor Chop House and Parsons. In third place was royal HQ, Buckingham Palace. While much of the palace is private, there's still plenty for non blue-bloods to check out. Tourists can wander around the King's Gallery, take guided tours and watch the changing of the guard, which happens every morning at 10.45am. Other must-see London landmarks to make the top 10 were Big Ben, Borough Market, Camden Market and the Natural History Museum. A Travelodge spokesperson said: 'It's no surprise that the top spots were taken by iconic, historic classics like the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace, but it's also great to see people rate newer attractions such as Battersea Power Station and Sky Garden too.' If we're looking at actual visitor numbers though, data from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions recently revealed that the British Museum was the most visited attraction in not only London, but the whole of the UK for 2024. The top 20 attractions in London, according to Travelodge Tower of London Covent Garden Buckingham Palace Natural History Museum Camden Market Big Ben Borough Market The London Eye British Museum Tower Bridge Victoria and Albert Museum Imperial War Museum Battersea Power Station Harry Potter Studio Tour Science Museum Sky Garden Hyde Park Hampton Court Palace St Paul's Cathedral Tate Modern See Time Out's guide to London's 50 best attractions here and a list of our favourite alternative attractions here.
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Queen Camilla dons her poppies as she walks through a sea of red and admires 30,000 ceramic flowers
There were already 30,000 ceramic poppies on display - but Queen Camilla brought a few more with her. The royal, 77, sported a pair of eye-catching black leather gloves embellished with the red flowers, along with a a red wool crepe dress by Fiona Clare and black cape, as she visited the Tower of London. 'It was so cold this morning I thought it would be the perfect time to wear them,' she said. She also admired the poppy new display at the Tower of London to mark 80 years since the end of the Second World War. Camilla toured the striking installation, The Tower Remembers, which represents a 'wound' across the inner walls of the fortress, symbolising the enduring sacrifices made during the conflict. Poppies flow down the side of the White Tower, where a frozen 'splash' of the blood-red flowers begins a cascade of poppies through the heart of the fortress, before emerging under St Thomas's Tower. The Tower, which is run by the charity Historic Royal Palaces, still bears the marks of the bombings which killed five people, including a Yeoman Warder during the Blitz. Camilla then walked through a Guard of Honour formed of six Yeoman Warders, and was led onto the lawn to inspect the new installation by project lead Tom O'Leary. There was cheering and applause from the crowd of tourists watching from behind a cordon, and one man shouted: 'God save the King! We all love Camilla! Give us a wave!' The Queen met Yeoman Warder Tracey Machin, along with her son Harrison, five, and D-Day veterans Henry Rice, 99, a former Royal Navy signalman and Richard Aldred, a tank driver in the Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. 'It's very nice to see you,' she told the veterans, 'Not too cold?' Richard handed the Queen a ceramic poppy, while Henry presented one to Harrison and they paused while Poet Laureate Simon Armitage read out a specially commissioned VE 80 poem, In Retrospect, before planting each of the flowers into the ground to complete the installation. Speaking afterwards Henry Rice said: 'Last year I went to Normandy and had the pride and pleasure of meeting His majesty and Her Majesty. I said to her quietly, 'We met last year', she said, 'Yes, I know' and that that is fabulous. 'I mean, why should she remember me?' He described the King and Queen as 'A gentleman and his lady,' adding 'That's truly the best compliment I can pay to both of because that's exactly how I feel about them, and I'm speaking truthfully as well.'He said of the installation, 'Each one of those poppies represents a man that gave his life to allow me, my family, this country, in fact, to live in peace and comfort. 'I don't go around thinking of men that gave their lives and all that sort of thing. But then suddenly, when you're in a situation, you're sitting quietly, or you're out walking in the park, and suddenly it comes into your mind, and you realise exactly what these men did, how I really do thank them, and they are my heroes, all of them. Those that are alive even. 'I was in the Royal Navy, on board ship. These men then left my ship. I was on landing ships, and they ran up the beach into a hail of bullets and everything, and I sat quietly on my ship. 'They were so brave, but I don't know whether I could do it.' The new display, which is open to the public until November 11, uses poppies created for the 2014 installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, which saw the Tower encircled by a sea of more than 880,000 ceramic flowers. The 30,000 in use this year are among 40,000 that were bought for the nation by philanthropists Dame Vivienne Duffield and Dame Susie Sainsbury after the original installation and donated to the Imperial War Museum.
