7 Royal Facts about the Queen’s Guards (2024)

FAQs

Are royal guards allowed to smile? ›

The King's Guard has strict rules to abide by, including not speaking or smiling while on duty, but a British travel blog notes that the men are permitted to warn rule-breaking tourists. “One should never touch a member of the Queen's Guard,” according to Londontopia.

Traditionally the Queen's Guards are not allowed to move. Typically, a Guardsman spends two hours on duty and four off. He is not expected to stand still for any more than ten minutes at a time. Every so often, he will march up and down in front of his sentry box, rather like a policeman "walking the beat".

Guards “are allowed to get [people] away by shouting… warnings if they fail to move away or start to act aggressively,” the Reddit guard says. For instance, they're known to yell “make way for the Queen's Guard!” at tourists who get in their way.

The soldiers come from active regiments in the British Army, and any action deemed threatening, regardless of how minor, can cause them to react forcefully.

' Here's some free advice to future Buckingham Palace visitors: When approaching a King's Guard, do not touch them! That's the lesson one woman learned when she recently visited the palace in London.

Orders for sentry duty read out before each two-hour 'tour of duty', make it clear that sentries "may not eat, sleep, smoke, stand easy, sit or lie down during [their] tour of duty". Sentries receive instruction on how to eliminate nuisance or any suggestion of threat from members of the public.

The animals can bite or lash out unexpectedly. A tourist flouted that rule and came closer to take a photo, prompting her to be scolded by a soldier: "Stay away from the Queen's Guard , don't touch the reins!"

Those guns aren't loaded…

The Guard's intimidating weapons only have ammo in them when they are aware of a potential serious security threat.

Guardsmen will have two hours on sentry duty and four hours off. However, do not be surprised if on some occasions you do not see the traditional guardsmen, in their scarlet tunics, particularly in August when other regiments often guard 'The King'.

The alias "Kenix Kil" was Imperial Guardsmen Kir Kanos' name in the Guard's battle language. The Emperor's Royal Guard battle language was a language understood only by the Emperor's Royal Guard.

Why do royal guards wear red? ›

According to a guard who spoke to Insider at a royal event in May, the bright-red color of the tunics is rooted in tradition and helps cover up blood stains.

So why do these guards wear tall black hats and conspicuous red tunics? As hard as it may be to believe, the uniform was supposed to intimidate opposing armies. "The idea was that you made your foot soldiers look taller and therefore more fearsome," said Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal commentator based in London.

Although we'd be forgiven for believing that the Queen's guards have taken a vow of silence while in post, they can indeed speak on some occasions. Although we do not recommend provoking them to do so, the can speak (or more specifically yell) if visitors come to close to them or acts aggressively.

You just can't move

While on duty, Queen's Guards are not supposed to move or respond to anything that the tourists may throw at them. However, the rules indicate that after being still for at least 10 minutes, they can march up and down the street in order to stretch their legs and avoid passing out.

Privates in the Foot Guards are all known as Guardsmen whether they are male or female.

Being a Queen's Guard is a tough gig and isn't for everyone, as they are not allowed to laugh or show any emotion while on duty. Guards are actively serving the Queen and must follow strict rules such as no laughing.

The Kingsguard are sworn for life and are forbidden from owning land, taking a wife, or fathering children, although they can hold non-hereditary commands, such as being warden or Hand of the King.

Laughing can be seen as a sign of disrespect or lack of focus and can be interpreted as a sign that the guard is not taking their job seriously. As a result, royal guards can lose their positions for laughing on duty, or face other serious repercussions.

They were elite, loyal and obedient to the core, and their lives were expendable if it meant catching a bullet for the King. Their primary task in peacetime was to guard Stockholm Castle from spies and assassins, as well as pesky citizens with radical ideas.

The pallbearers hail from the Queen's Company, the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards. 'It's their role to protect her body, both in life and in death, remaining in the Queen's Company until King Charles decides otherwise,' explained Major Adrian Weale to the PA.

What do royal guards do all day? ›

In this role, their primary function is the protection duty for the royal residence. They stand guard outside the palace in order to protect the royal residents from any harm. Although the role has evolved into mostly a ceremonial one, almost a tourist attraction, these guards are still first and foremost soldiers.

Royal guards are not generally allowed to talk to the public but can occasionally shout a warning in some circ*mstances, for example when people obstruct them or there is a threat to safety.

Even now, royal guards protecting the Queen use swords with the same name, but they are the same in name only. This particular sword forces its wielder to fight even to the death to protect whomever he has sworn to protect. It also grants the power to accomplish this task.

Surrounding the six Gentlemen at Arms were four members of the Bodyguard the Yeomen of the Guard. Every 20 minutes the replacement Gentlemen and Yeomen take their place before their predecessors depart.

The first black man to join an elite regiment that guarded the late Queen says writing a book about his experiences was "a coping mechanism" for the racism he faced. Bristolian Richard Stokes joined the Grenadier Guards in 1986 after encouragement from his adoptive father.

The Queen's Guard is responsible for the safety and security of the royal family and the palace, and they take their job very seriously. If you touch a Buckingham Palace guard, they are likely to react harshly, potentially leading to a confrontation or worse.

It was thought that the 19-inch tall caps would make soldiers look taller and more intimidating to their enemies. To commemorate their war victory, the hats were introduced to the soldiers guarding royal residences, where they continue to be used today.

The guards at Buckingham Palace and St James Palace are on duty for 24 or 48 hours. During that time a Guardsman will have 2 hours on sentry duty and then 4 hours off.

The Queen's guards are taught to "faint to attention"

It may look easy, but standing perfectly still for elongated periods of time can put immense strain on the body and mind, causing exhaustion, muscle strain, lower back pain and swelling of the feet.

The Guards are members of the British Army who get 30 weeks of training, two weeks more than the regular infantry. The extra weeks are devoted to drill and ceremonial protocol.

How do you say hello to a royal? ›

There are no obligatory codes of behaviour when meeting The Queen or a member of the Royal Family, but many people wish to observe the traditional forms. For men this is a neck bow (from the head only) whilst women do a small curtsy. Other people prefer simply to shake hands in the usual way.

Yes - those tall caps are made of real bear fur. And it's causing controversy. The sight of a member of the King's Guard standing on ceremony outside Buckingham Palace, sporting that immaculate red-and-black uniform and tall bearskin cap, is an iconic sight of London.

A royal guard is a group of military bodyguards, soldiers or armed retainers responsible for the protection of a royal family member, such as the emperor or empress, king or queen, or prince or princess.

It's called a 'bearskin', a type of ceremonial military cap that dates back to the 17th century. And yes, despite some controversy, the bearskin is exactly as its name suggests. Bearskin hats are made from the skin of black bears, hundreds of which are killed annually from a large population in Canada.

Their official title is 'The Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, and Members of the Sovereign's Body Guard of the Yeoman Guard Extraordinary'. Quite a mouthful, isn't it? And quite possibly why they are affectionately called 'Beefeaters'.

The five Regiments of Foot Guards are the Grenadier Guards, the Coldstream Guards, the Scots Guards, the Irish Guards and the Welsh Guards.

It's reported that the decision to wear the chained strap for these headpieces under the lip comes from when soldiers actually fought while wearing them. If a soldier was shot, the heavy hat could fall backwards and cause the soldier's neck to break if they were wearing a chin strap.

Answer: The origins are that every gunner in the British military and the French military wore bearskin caps to make them taller and more intimidating because they were the ones that did the hand to hand fighting. In Napoleon's imperial guard everybody wore them, and they were supposed to be his elite troops.

It means the Athol Grey Great Coat, worn by Foot Guards in winter, and the Capes used by mounted troops will be put away and replaced by the shorter summer tunic.

They replaced the earlier ankle boots that had been in service since the early 1800s. Ammunition boots (now known as Boots, Ankle, General Service) remain in use today by British and Commonwealth armies for ceremonial public duties, most notably by the British Army's Household Division, who provide the King's Guard.

How do you tell guards apart? ›

Telling the regiments apart

From a distance they appear identical, but there are ways to distinguish between the regiments: The colour of the plume, and which side of the bearskin it is worn on. The spacing of the tunic buttons. The badge worn on the collar.

Buckingham Palace Railings (Gates)

Buckingham Palace railings is the spot most most first time visitors try to grab when they visit the Changing of the Guard. Providing you get here early enough, you will have a great view of the part of the Changing Ceremony that takes place in the forecourt.

While it is likely that secretaries, housekeepers, chefs, chauffeurs, gardeners etc. will be kept on, some of the queen's more personal staff may be made redundant or choose to leave the household voluntarily, such as her footmen and dressers.

Queens Guards can spend anywhere between one to four hours in direct sunlight during the hot summer days standing guard at the Royal palaces and it is a surprise that more of them do not faint while on parade. The main reason is due to good HYDRATION. H20. OGIN.

The Queen's guards aren't as tall as they used to be

'The height requirement has been brought down to 5' 10", but traditionally, if you were in the Queen's Company within the Grenadier Guards, you had to be 6' 2" or over. They were known as “the models” because they were so tall.

The first thing that will happen is the guard coming to attention and telling you to step back from the Queen's Guard. If this is ignored or should the person approach or threaten the guard then this is repeated.

They are serving soldiers. Many of them have served in war zones. Their job (while on guard duty) is to protect the monarch with lethal force and their own lives if necessary. So yes.

They won't be fined, as some rumours suggest, but it is frowned upon for guards to smile for a selfie with tourists.

Since 1916, the British Army, Royal Air Force, and Royal Marines have allowed moustaches and side whiskers. Beards are not covered under this acceptance, apart from when they are grown for medical or religious reasons.

Yes, you can, but they will not pose for you or talk to you. You can stand next to them for a picture, but make no mistake, they will react if you try to fool around with them.

What gender are the royal guards? ›

RG 01 and RG 02 are both males.

Never touch a guard

As London aficionados know by now, one should never touch a member of the Queen's Guard. If this is the case, they are actually allowed to shout warnings at you to make you go away. If people start acting aggressively, the soldiers can even present their bayonets to them.

Royal guards are not generally allowed to talk to the public but can occasionally shout a warning in some circ*mstances, for example when people obstruct them or there is a threat to safety.

Guardsmen will have two hours on sentry duty and four hours off. However, do not be surprised if on some occasions you do not see the traditional guardsmen, in their scarlet tunics, particularly in August when other regiments often guard 'The King'.

All privates in the Foot Guards are known as guardsmen, even though it is not an official rank, whether they are men or women. That includes soldiers in the Irish, Welsh, Scots, Grenadier and Coldstream Guards - the elite infantry units of the Household Division who protect the Queen and her family.

The animals can bite or lash out unexpectedly. A tourist flouted that rule and came closer to take a photo, prompting her to be scolded by a soldier: "Stay away from the Queen's Guard , don't touch the reins!"

Arguably the most prized feature is the Jewel House, which has housed the exquisite Crown Jewels since 1661. Sadly, you can't take photos of the Crown Jewels for security reasons. And with the intimidating security guards watching your every move as you walk through the Jewel House, you won't want to even try.

These are highly trained professional soldiers. They're not actors playing a role. They are (along with less visible measures) genuinely protecting the palace. The firearms and bayonets are real and the guards are prepared to use them.

In order to join the Royal Guard, a trainee soldier has to pass the British Army Recruit Battery (BARB) test. The scores of the BARB test helps to categorise whether they join a combat role or one of the combat support groups.

A royal guard is a group of military bodyguards, soldiers or armed retainers responsible for the protection of a royal family member, such as the emperor or empress, king or queen, or prince or princess.

Will The Queen's guards change name? ›

His Majesty

The Queen's Guard, a favourite for tourists visiting Buckingham Palace, will also change its name. The police will no longer preserve the peace of the queen but that of the king, and barristers' office will change from being called “QC ("Queen's counsel") to KC ("King's counsel").