by Alex David
most senior officer, the Captain of the Corps, is a political appointment held by the Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords.
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Uniform: Uniform of a heavy dragoon guard from the 1840s, including red coat with gold epaulettes, dark trousers, and helmets with white swan feathers. All gentlemen carry cavalry swords and ceremonial battle axes.
The Royal Company of Archers
History: Formed as a private archery club in 1676, the Company remains one of the oldest sporting clubs in the world. It was given the privilege of serving as the monarch’s bodyguard in Scotland by George IV in 1822.
Duties: The Company serves as the monarch’s
ceremonial bodyguard when visiting Scotland, serving most notably during the Order of the Thistle service and at Garden Parties in Edinburgh. As a non-military body, its attendance at royal events must be requested specifically by the monarch. On a daily basis, the Company continues to function as a private archery club.
Composition: Members must be Scottish or have strong Scottish connections, and are elected to the club by current members.
Uniform: Dark green tunic with black facings, dark green trousers with black and crimson stripes, and a Balmoral bonnet adorned with an eagle feather and badge.
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THE MILITARY GUARD
Unlike the ceremonial guard, the sovereign’s Military Guard provides actual protection duties, mainly through guarding the royal palaces. It is also however involved in ceremonial duties, and with greater frequency and in greater numbers. The guard is composed of full-time soldiers who perform royal duties as part of their military rotation, alternating them with operational service, military exercises, and active combat abroad. The Guard is made of seven different regiments which include the most senior and prestigious regiments in the British Army, and are collectively known as the Household
Division. The Division’s motto, Septem Juncta In Uno (Seven Joined In One) highlights the special relationship that holds them together in service to the monarch. The King’s Troop, a regiment in the British Army with a special individual relationship to the monarch, is not part of the Household Division, but because it performs some of the same duties and enjoys the same privileges as the
Household Division, it is designated as part of the
Household Troops.
The diagram on the next page explains the relationship between the individual regiments of the Household
Troops:
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THE HOUSEHOLD TROOPS
I. The Household Division (Seven Joined in One) 1. The Household Cavalry
a. The Life Guards
b. The Blues and Royals
2. The Household Guards
a. The Grenadier Guards
b. The Coldstream Guards
c. The Scots Guards
d. The Irish Guards
e. The Welsh Guards
II. The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery The Household Cavalry
The Household Cavarly is made up of two different
regiments, the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals, and both have served as bodyguard to the monarch since the 1660s. Both regiments are split in two different units with different purposes. The Household Cavalry
Regiment is an active unit in the British Army serving as a formation reconnaissance regiment as part of the Royal Armoured Corps. The Household Cavalry Mounted
Regiment (described here) is a full time ceremonial unit 453
providing the Queen’s Life Guard in London, and serving on royal and state occasions. Members of the Life Guards and Blues and Royals are part of both units, and soldiers serve in both units separately at different points in their careers.
History:
The Corps is made up of the two most senior regiments in the British Army, both tracing their origins to the English Civil War and Restoration of the monarchy in the mid 17th century.
The Life Guards: Officially the most senior regiment in the British Army, it had its origins in troops raised by Charles II while in exile abroad in the 1650s. At the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 they were made the monarch’s official military guard at Whitehall Palace.
They have distinguished themselves in active service during the Monmouth Rebellion, the War of the Austrian Succession, Waterloo, World War I and World War II.
The Blues and Royals: The present regiment was amalgamated in 1969 from two previous cavalry
regiments with illustrious histories:
The Royal Horse Guards were originally founded in 1650
for Oliver Cromwell as part of the New Model Army.
Parliamentarian officers were replaced by Royalists at the Restoration when the regiment was re-founded, and the regiment later went on to fight at the Battle of the Boyne, the Seven Years’ War and the Battle of Waterloo.
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The Royal Dragoons were originally raised by Charles II in the 1660s to defend the city of Tangiers, Morocco, which the English had acquired as part of the dowry of Charles’s wife Catherine of Braganza. They later fought in the War of the Spanish Succession, Waterloo, World War I and World War II.
Duties:
When mounted, the regiments perform escort duties to the monarch at the State Opening of Parliament,
Trooping the Colour, state visits and royal weddings.
Dismounted duties include lining the monarch’s walking route during the Garter Service at Windsor Castle, and lining staircases at the State Opening of Parliament. A dismounted division is also present at the Cenotaph ceremony on Remembrance Day. On a daily basis, the
Household Cavalry provides the Queen’s Life Guard, both mounted and dismounted, at Horse Guards—the
ceremonial entrance to the Royal Palaces—which it has done since 1758 (see Changing of the Guard below).
Uniform:
The ceremonial uniforms of both regiments are similar and include a tunic, a cuirass (chest armour plate), black jackboots, sword, and a metal helmet with a plume. The uniforms vary between the two regiments in the
following differences:
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The Life Guards
Tunic colour:
Red
Helmet plume colour: White
Chin strap:
Worn below the lower lip
The Blues and Royals
Tunic colour:
Blue
Helmet plume colour: Red
Chin strap:
Worn under the chin
The Foot Guards
The Foot Guards have served as a personal military guard to the monarch since the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, however their role in guarding the Royal Palaces only became prominent in the 18th century after the royal court was moved to St James’s Palace. Soldiers in the Foot Guards are involved in duties through a rotational system, alternating between military exercises and
guarding the royal palaces. They are made up of five regiments: the Grenadier Guards, the Coldstream Guards, the Scots Guards, the Irish Guards, and the
Welsh Guards. The monarch is always the Colonel in Chief of all five regiments. The history of the individual regiments is described below in order of regimental seniority.
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History:
The Grenadier Guards
The most senior infantry regiment in the British Army, the Grenadiers had their origins in troops raised abroad in the 1650s for the exiled Charles II and later combined in one regiment after the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660. The name Grenadier was adopted in 1815 after the regiment defeated Napoleon’s French Imperial
Grenadiers at the Battle of Waterloo. As an additional honour from that battle the Guards were allowed to
adopt the French Grenadiers’ bearskin hats, a privilege which was extended to all regiments of the Foot Guards in 1831. Besides Waterloo, the regiment distinguished itself in the War of the Spanish Succession, the Crimean and Boer Wars, and in major battles in World War I and World War II. Traditionally, the Grenadier
Guards act as pallbearers to the monarch at his or her funeral.
The Coldstream Guards
The Coldstream regiment traditionally claims older
origins than the Grenadiers in the British Army. It was formed by General George Monck in Coldstream,
Scotland, in 1650 as part of Cromwell’s New Model Army.
They first fought victoriously at the Battle of Dunbar against the Royalist Army in 1650, and were later among the troops Monck took to London in 1660 to force the 457
Restoration of the monarchy. They were officially
disbanded as a Republican regiment in 1660 and re-
formed as a royal regiment in 1661, which is why they rank second to the Grenadier Guards in seniority. Their motto, ‘Nulli Secundus’ or ‘second to none’, points to their older history. The regiment fought valiantly during the capture of Gibraltar in 1704, the Napoleonic Wars, on the Western Front during World War I, and during the First Gulf War. Although it is named after a Scottish town, the regiment describes itself as ‘fiercely English’ and traditionally focuses recruitment in the northeast of England (where the first soldiers originated) and from the southwest (where George Monck was born).
The Scots Guards
The Scots Guards are the regiment with the oldest origins among the Foot Guards as they were originally raised by Charles I in the 1640s as royalist troops during the English Civil War. They later fought for his son Charles II at the battles of Dunbar and Worcester, but after his defeat at Worcester and flight into exile in 1650 the regiment was disbanded. It was expressly reformed by Charles II after the Restoration of the monarchy in 1661, after the
Grenadiers and Coldstream, and so became the third
officially formed regiment of Foot Guards. Known for their toughness and courage in battle, the Scots have participated in all major foreign engagements including Dettingen, the American War of Independence,
Waterloo, the Crimean War (where they were among the 458
first recipients of the Victoria Cross), and they received battle honours from most fighting theatres in World War I and World War II.
The Irish Guards
The Irish Guards were formed in 1900 by Queen Victoria to honour the Irish regiments who had fought
courageously in the Boer War in South Africa. Since then the regiment has distinguished itself at the Battle of the Somme during World War I, in World War II, and in the Balkans. Among its traditions is the presentation of fresh shamrock to the troops by a member of the Royal Family on St Patrick’s Day, a tradition started by Queen
Alexandra in 1901 and currently being continued by the Duchess of Cambridge. Queen Elizabeth the Queen
Mother, who presented shamrocks to the Guards for over 50 years, had a special attachment to the Irish Guards: at her death the regiment had the special honour of bearing her coffin at her funeral.
The Welsh Guards
The Welsh Guards were created in 1915 by George V to complete the representation of the four British home nations in the Foot Guards. Since then they have served at the evacuation of Dunkirk, in the Falklands, and in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. The regiment has a special connection to the Prince and Princess of Wales, and provided the official escort at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997. They also provided the Royal 459
Guard of Honour at Buckingham Palace for the wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge in 2011.
Duties:
The Foot Guards are the monarch’s primary military
protection in London and in Windsor, where they guard the royal palaces day and night. Their most famous
ceremonial duties are the Changing of the Guard at the royal palaces, and the Trooping the Colour parade on the monarch’s official birthday which is attended by all five regiments. Other duties include lining the streets at the State Opening of Parliament, providing a guard of honour at ceremonial events like state visits, and taking part in royal weddings and royal funerals. Ceremonial duties are usually shared between all regiments. Each regiment has its own band which may perform during royal ceremonies as well as other public events.
Uniform:
The ceremonial uniform of the Foot Guards includes the famous bearskin hat, a scarlet tunic and dark blue
trousers. The five individual Regiments all wear the same uniform but may be recognised by the following
individual marks:
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Grenadier Guards
Grouping of buttons on tunic: Single
Collar badge:
Grenade
Plume on bearskin hat:
White, worn on left side
Coldstream Guards
Grouping of buttons on tunic: Twos
Collar badge:
Garter Star
Plume on bearskin hat:
Red, worn on right side
Scots Guards
Grouping of buttons on tunic: Threes
Collar badge:
Thistle
Plume on bearskin hat:
No plume
Irish Guards
Grouping of buttons on tunic: Fours
Collar badge:
Shamrock
Plume on bearskin hat:
Blue, worn on right side
Welsh Guards
Grouping of buttons on tunic: Fives
Collar badge:
Leek
Plume on bearskin hat:
Green and white, worn on
left side
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The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery
The King’s Troop enjoys a special relationship with the monarchy. Although officially not part of the Household Division they are still in personal service to the monarch and are therefore called part of the Household Troops.
Differently from the other corps described above
however, they do not have a history of guarding the sovereign and only begun their special association in the 1940s.
History: Originally formed in 1793 as part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, the Royal Horse Artillery was a horse mounted unit which was deployed in many
conflicts including the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War, the Boer War and World War I. After the unit was mechanized in the 1930s a horse-mounted battery was retained to take part in ceremonial occasions, and was renamed The King’s Troop by George VI himself during a visit to their barracks in 1947. After George VI’s death, Queen Elizabeth II decreed that the royal masculine name be retained in honour of her father, regardless of the gender of the monarch on the throne.
Duties: The main ceremonial role of the King’s Troop is firing Gun Salutes in the Royal Parks for official occasions including royal birthdays and anniversaries, state visits, Trooping the Colour, the State Opening of Parliament, 462
and Remembrance Day. On those occasions mounted
soldiers drive teams of horses pulling World War I-era field guns which are used to fire salutes. Other roles include taking part in the parades for Trooping the Colour, coronations and royal weddings. During royal ceremonial funerals (as opposed to State funerals) the King’s Troop has the honour of pulling the gun carriage carrying the royal coffin as it happened at the funerals of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 2002. The Troop also mounts the Queen’s Life Guard at Horse Guard one month per year.
Composition: There are approximately 140 members in the King’s Troop, and uniquely among the Household
Troops they include both men and women. All the
soldiers making up the unit are superb equestrians and serve in active duty, including combat areas.
Uniform: The uniforms worn on ceremonial occasions, including gun salutes, are in the Hussar style, dating back to the Napoleonic era when the original artillery regiment was first formed. The uniform includes a blue tunic with gilded frogging embroidery at the front, blue trousers with red stripes, a Hussar busby hat with plume, and a ceremonial sword.
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THE QUEEN’S GUARD
AND THE CHANGING
OF THE GUARD
The duty and privilege of guarding the Royal Palaces is called the Queen’s Guard (called the King’s Guard when the monarch is male) or guard mounting. Since 1660 the Guard has been composed of regiments from the
Household Division: the five regiments from the Foot Guards are charged with guarding royal palaces in
London and Windsor, while the two regiments from the Household Cavalry are charged with guarding Horse
Guard in London which is the ceremonial entrance on Whitehall to the royal palaces. There is a Queen’s Guard in Edinburgh that is provided by the Royal Regiment of Scotland, or by whichever other regiment is resident in the city barracks at the time. Guard mounting at most locations is also occasionally provided by other regiments from the UK and the Commonwealth.
Individual battalions from regiments are rotated for duties during which they must provide an actual guard to the Royal Palaces. Sentries usually stay on duty for two hours at a time and must keep alert at all times. They may not eat, sleep, smoke, stand easy, sit or lie down during guard duties. Individual battalions normally take collective shifts guarding a royal residence, with each 464
