Buckingham Palace, London, SW1A 1AA

Buckingham Palace is located in central London, so please allow sufficient time to cope with London traffic. Buckingham Palace is located within the central London Congestion Charge Zone — information about the charge and payment is available online at cclondon.com.

A limited number of disabled parking spaces are available at Buckingham Palace for Blue Badge holders. If you would like to request a space, please email [email protected] Parking will be allocated at the discretion of the Events Manager. Please be aware that the roads around Buckingham Palace may be closed for a short period before each presentation, so it may be necessary for guests who require parking to arrive by a specific route.

Many buses stop within walking distance of Buckingham Palace.

The nearest tube stations are Green Park (Jubilee/Piccadilly/Victoria), Victoria (Victoria/Circle/District), Hyde Park Corner (Piccadilly) and St James’s Park (Circle/District).

Further information about London Transport can be found at www.tfl.gov.uk

If you accept your place at the presentation, your official invitations and admittance cards will be posted to you approximately three weeks before the presentation date. You will receive a formal white invitation and coloured admittance card for both you and your guest.

Admittance cards are not transferable.

If you have not received your invitations two weeks prior to the presentation, please get in touch with us immediately.

If any of the details are incorrect on your or your guest’s admittance card or do not match your ID (first and last names must match, middle names are not required), please contact us immediately at [email protected]. For security reasons, you may be asked to return the coloured admittance cards to be reissued.

If we receive your returned tickets less than a week prior to the presentation, replacements will be available for you to collect on the day. Please make yourself known to a DofE member of staff at the gate on arrival and they will assist you in collecting your admittance card.

If you’re no longer able to attend your presentation please contact us as soon as possible and we’ll advise whether you can be added back to the waiting list and receive another invitation to attend a future presentation.You will only receive two invitations to attend a presentation, therefore if you cancel your second invitation your certificate will be sent in the post.

If your invitations and admittance cards have already been dispatched, for security reasons you will need to return these to the address on the cards.

If you need to cancel your place on the day of the presentation, please call us on 07730 651376 or email [email protected].

If you or your guest are unable to attend due to illness, please do let us know when you cancel your place.

Should you not let us know in advance of the presentation that you are unable to attend, your certificate will be posted to you and you will not receive another invitation to attend a presentation.

It is not possible for your guest to attend your presentation without you.

If you are not going to arrive at Buckingham Palace in time for the last entry (as stated on your admittance card) please call us on 07730 651376.

Please note that if you arrive after the “in position” time stated on your admittance card, you may miss some elements of your presentation. Late arrivals may be directed to enter through a different entrance gate to the one on your admittance card.

You are only permitted to have one personal guest accompanying you to the presentation, who must be over the age of 16. Please check that we have the correct details for your guest and update them if required on eDofE.

If you need to change your guest upto four weeks before your presentation, please log on to your eDofE account and update their details. If your presentation is less than four weeks away, please get in touch so that we can update their details. For security reasons guests cannot be changed within three weeks of the presentation date; if your guest is no longer able to attend after this time, please let us know. You are welcome to attend the presentation without a guest if you wish.

We are unable to accommodate requests for additional guests under any circumstances.

There are three entrance gates to Buckingham Palace Gardens for Gold Award holders and their guests: North Gate, South Centre Gate and Hyde Park Corner Gate (see map on pages 6-7). The gate that you will be admitted through will be listed clearly on your coloured admittance card.

To minimise queuing, entrance times have been staggered. For your safety and security, please do not arrive outside Buckingham Palace prior to the entrance time stated on your admittance card and please follow any directions or instructions given on the day by the Metropolitan Police or DofE staff.

Once you have been admitted to the gardens, you are required to register with your presentation group. Your group number is printed in the top right-hand corner of your coloured admittance card, and group positions will be clearly marked within the gardens with a corresponding coloured and numbered flag. Please ask a member of staff for assistance if required.

When you arrive at your group, please register with your Group Marshal who will confirm the “in position” time for your group’s proceedings to commence; it might be possible for you to look around the gardens before your presentation begins. It is essential that you return to your group by the “in position” time on your admittance card, otherwise you may miss having your Gold Award Certificate presented to you.

Please note that there will be other groups having their presentations throughout the gardens, therefore we would kindly ask that you do not disturb groups who may be in the middle of their proceedings.

You will be part of a group of approximately 50 Gold Award holders. In addition to the personal guest of each Gold Award holder, your group will also host a small number of guests from DofE Licensed Organisations and other DofE supporters.

Once your group is “in position”, you will be led through the presentation proceedings by your Group Steward. They will provide information about the structure of the presentation and official protocol.

During the course of the presentation a Member of The Royal Family will visit your group. They will want to hear about your experience of doing your Gold Award programme, so feel free to speak up and tell them your interesting stories. You will be positioned by the Group Steward and Group Marshal and it is essential that you stand where instructed so that everyone can see and hear the Member of The Royal Family.

It is not possible for Members of The Royal Family to present each certificate personally; a specially invited dignitary will present the certificates on their behalf. The Guest Presenter will share a few words with your group and there may be the opportunity for a Q&A session. We are unable to confirm who the Guest Presenter will be in advance of the presentation day.

During the presentation each group will be escorted to a photography station within the gardens to have a group photograph taken. Your Guest Presenter will be part of this photograph. When moving through the gardens, please be quiet and respectful of other groups. Guests will not be permitted to join their young people at the photography station and should remain in their group.

Once presentation proceedings have finished in your group, you will be asked to depart the gardens. When leaving, please ensure that you do not disturb other groups who may be in the middle of their presentation.

Morning presentations

From 09.45am – Guests start to arrive at the Palace (staggered entry).
10.40am to 11.15am – Guests to be “in position” in their groups
12.10pm-12.40pm – Presentation ends, guests depart.

Afternoon presentations

From 2pm – Guests start to arrive at the Palace (staggered entry).
3.10pm to 3.30pm – Guests to be “in position” in their groups.
4.30pm – 5.05pm – Presentation ends, guests depart.

All timings are approximate and your specific entry times will be printed on your admittance cards.

If you or your guest have any accessibility requirements, please ensure that you let us know at the time of accepting your invitation.

The gardens of Buckingham Palace are fully accessible to disabled guests. Attendees are welcome to bring their wheelchair; however, please note that the pathways are gravel. Extra wheelchairs are not available to borrow. There are also accessible toilets at the event.

The presentations will take place with all attendees standing. A limited number of folding chairs will be available for attendees who require them for medical reasons, which must have been pre-booked. Please email the Gold Award Presentation Team ([email protected]) when accepting your place, or no later than four weeks before the presentation, to request a chair.

A limited number of disabled parking spaces are available at Buckingham Palace for Blue Badge holders. If you would like to request a space, please email [email protected]. Parking will be allocated at the discretion of the Events Manager. Please be aware that the roads around Buckingham Palace may be closed for a short period before each presentation, so it may be necessary for guests who require parking to arrive by a specific route.

On very rare occasions there are a few steps to access the photography studio. If you have any concerns or queries about access requirements, please contact the Gold Award Presentation team prior to your presentation day on 01753 727431 or [email protected].

Tempest Photography are the official Gold Award Presentation photographers.

A group photograph will be taken inside Buckingham Palace Gardens with the group you are in to receive your certificate (approximately 25 people) and the guest presenter. You are able to purchase and take home a copy of this photograph on the day by visiting the nearby studio.

Family/individual photographs are taken at a nearby studio location, the details of which will be included with your invitations and admittance cards. Although only one guest is able to attend the presentation with you, as many people as you wish can join you at the studio for pictures with family and friends.

You can visit the studio either before or after your presentation; we encourage you to book an appointment online in advance at www.Tempest-DofE.co.uk, but you can just turn up on the day. The studio is busiest directly after each presentation – morning (12.30pm-1.30pm) and afternoon (5.15pm- 6.15pm). During this time you may need to wait for a studio to become available. The quietest time to visit the studio is from 8.30am – 12.15pm, or 3pm – 5.15pm.

On very rare occasions there are a few steps to access the photography studio. If you have any concerns or queries about access requirements, please contact the Gold Award Presentation team prior to your presentation day on 01753 727431 or [email protected]

You may notice that the official photographers taking some additional photos as part of the presentation. These photos are not available for distribution or sale.

Guests are welcome to take their own photographs in the gardens of Buckingham Palace using small cameras or camera phones, but please do not bring large cameras or tablet computers.

It is not permitted for photographs to be taken while Members of the Royal Family are speaking to your group. At all other times, we would ask that cameras are kept at a respectful distance while Members of the Royal Family are present to enable them to meet as many guests as possible.

There is no cloakroom available in Buckingham Palace Gardens, so you will need to keep anything you bring on your person for the entire presentation.

The presentations will go ahead regardless of the weather. Attendees should check the weather forecast in advance and bring appropriate attire, including a large umbrella and raincoat or sun cream and a hat if necessary. There is limited cover in the gardens.

The presentations take place on the lawns so high heels are not advised.

Limited toilet facilities will be available in the gardens of Buckingham Palace. These are situated beside the lake and next to the first aid tent. The lavatories for those requiring disabled access are also situated by the first aid tent.

St John Ambulance will be in attendance at the presentation.

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