London Olympic torch relay to visit Buckingham Palace

The Olympic torch relay will visit the London residences of both the Queen and Prime Minister on the day before the opening ceremony next month, organisers said on Thursday.

Providing details of the penultimate day of the relay on July 26, they said 175 torchbearers would take the flame from Camden in north London to Westminster via Downing Street and Buckingham Palace.

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Queen Elizabeth is due to open the Games on July 27, when a cauldron will be lit at the Olympic Stadium in east London, in what will also be a family affair.

Her daughter Princess Anne is president of the British Olympic Association while grand-daughter Zara Phillips has been nominated to compete for the Team GB equestrian squad.

The flame will also visit St Paul's Cathedral, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, pass Battersea Dogs Home and travel to the site of the 1908 Olympic Stadium in White City on the penultimate day.

The torch relay is currently in Scotland on the 27th day of a tour around Britain.