Since its introduction in 1993, the Buckingham Palace Summer Opening allows visitors a rare opportunity to explore the State Rooms of the monarch’s official London residence. 2024 was a record-breaking year for Buckingham Palace, which welcomed the most visitors in the history of its summer opening.

Most London Blue Badge Tourist Guides have had clients who want to get a snap of themselves by a red London phone box, often with Big Ben in the background. It is almost a rite of passage for a visitor to London and so the red boxes at the end of Whitehall often have long queues of people waiting outside for the chance to take a picture of themselves. The phone booths are rarely put to their original use – namely, to make phone calls. Now, of course, the mobile phone reigns supreme and most people have a smartphone in their pocket.

London has more than 20 hospitals that serve its population of over 9 million people. Most of these are run by the NHS, but a few are private hospitals, often run by the British United Provident Association, a private health provider, which usually, like the NHS, goes by its initials. BUPA was founded in 1947 and provides competition for the NHS, and some companies offer private health for their employees as a perk to attract applicants. Most people are happy enough, however, to rely on the NHS for healthcare provision.