LONDON – If you want the skinny on a city, ask a police officer.

In this case, it's two former officers – brothers, one of them a part-time Texan – whose small private touring company serves London and southern and eastern England.

The siblings, Anthony "Tony" Egerton and Gary Egerton, intimately know London, its history and its special places.

"We were policemen, and policemen wander around," Gary says, explaining how they amassed their city savvy.

Travelers can set the itinerary according to their own interests and time.

"Probably the best thing about our tours is that they are personalized and tailored to the requirements of the customer," Tony says.

The Egertons and I meet in two outings for a mere three hours of exploring central London, and I come away full of cod, enriched by insider tips and with a better handle on handling London.

We see the flower-decked but minuscule house, barely wider than a Murphy bed at its wider end, that occupies a former stable on Ennismore Gardens Mews. Gary calls it "the smallest house in London," and it looks as if it could be. We stop for a photo at Winston Churchill's London home at 28 Hyde Park SW, and salute his strength that galvanized a nation.
We pass royal homes, including Clarence House (where Charles and Camilla live) and the "senior palace," St. James's, the official residence of the queen. (She calls Buckingham Palace "the shop," Gary says.)

The Egertons show me that the no-crowd, close-up version of the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace is at Wellington Barracks, where the soldiers assemble about 11 a.m. before marching out to the palace, accompanied by a brass band.

We enter Westminster Abbey through the speedier, group door ("We pride ourselves that our clients won't stand in a line," Gary says) and later encounter Margaret Thatcher's natty driver outside. We send our respects to the durable politician.

I learn an important fact for travelers: Methodist Central Hall across from the abbey has a public toilet downstairs by Wesley's Cafe.

I'm introduced to Lock & Co. Hatters (story on 1H) and see the green-painted cube at the foot of Hungerford Bridge that's a cabdrivers-only eatery. The public might get a bite on weekdays at a side window, I'm told, but we're bound for another cabbie fave: Masters Super Fish, four blocks south of Waterloo Station.

The cod fillets at Super Fish are as big as a shoe, golden on the outside, flaky and moist inside. The fries are chunky and fresh, and a side of mushy peas is creamy and sweet.

Woven through all of our cruising is the brothers' briefing: On the layout of London (two cities – old Roman and Westminster – and 32 boroughs). History from the great fire to the great plague. Tidbits such as kids' favorite museum (Science) and grownups' (Victoria and Albert).

I learn that Fortnum & Mason put on staff the old paratrooper asking for donations for ex-soldiers outside the store, saving him from being cited as a beggar. I even know who makes the queen's underclothes: Rigby & Peller.

Our conversation is lively, spiced with humor. The city is humanized.

Before the elder brother, Tony, founded Diplomatic Guide Services in 1996, he was with the London Metropolitan Police, and for the last 14 years before he retired he served in the Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Group at the Houses of Parliament, providing security for members of the royal family, heads of state and government officials.

He's a licensed London Tourist Board driver-guide and a licensed London cabdriver. The city's web of streets is so complex that the latter certification may take three to five years of study.

Gary, who retired in 2002, served in the Essex Police Department's Special Branch, a group responsible for covert anti-terrorist duties that works with the security services MI5 and MI6.

In his work, he provided close protection to royals, Mrs. Thatcher and the current king of Jordan when he was a prince studying at Cambridge University.

Gary is a registered Blue Badge guide, one of a corps of experts on the city.

Because of the Egertons' security experience and their use of other former police officers when additional guides are needed, the brothers' company often is called by the U.S. Embassy to guide visiting notables.

The brothers enjoy Americans (Tony lives part of each year in the Dallas area), and normally greet U.S. clients, "Good morning, Colonials."

"In the five years I've been doing this," Gary says, "I have never, ever met a rude American."

I'm dropped off by St. Paul's Cathedral to save me a trip on the Tube, and as I watch the baby-blue taxi disappear into traffic, I'm flooded with delight. I feel more like a Londoner than I ever have.

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