The Queen's Guard

By Dolores Eamets, Silver Plgaste and Liina

Reimann


Who is The Queens Guard?

The Queen's Guard is the name given to the contingent o

inantry res!onsi"le or guarding Buc#ingham Palace and St
$ames' Palace in London%

The guard is made u! o a com!any o soldiers rom a single

regiment, &hich is s!lit in t&o, !roviding a detachment or
Buc#ingham Palace and a detachment or St $ames' Palace%

The Guards have served ten 'ings and our Queens%

History

The Queen's Guard have served Sovereign and the

Royal Palaces since ())*%

+ntil (),-, the Sovereign lived mainly at the Palace o

.hitehall and &as guarded there "y /ousehold 0avalry%

1n (),-, the court moved to St $ames' Palace, &hich

&as guarded "y the 2oot Guards%

.hen Queen 3ictoria moved into Buc#ingham Palace in

(,45, the Queen's Guard remained at St $ames' Palace,
&ith a detachment guarding Buc#ingham Palace, as it
still does today%


The Household Cavalry Regiments
There are t&o /ousehold 0avalry Regiments 6 The Lie
Guards and The Blues and Royals%


The Guard changing
ceremony at
Buckingham Palace

1t ta#es !lace at ((%4* am%

The handover is accom!anied "y a Guards "and%

1t is also #no&n as 7Guard 8ounting9%

The :e& Guard, &ho during the course o the ceremony

"ecome The Queen9s Guard, march to Buc#ingham Palace
rom .ellington Barrac#s%

During the 0hanging the Guard ceremony one regiment ta#es

over rom another%


The Guard changing
ceremony at
St ames! Palace

1t ta#es !lace daily at ((%** am ;(*%** am on

Sundays<%

1t lasts a"out hal an hour%

1t is normally held "y the arch o /orse Guards

Building at .hitehall%


Guardsmen!s clothes

The "lac# "ears#in ca!

The scarlet tunic has a dar# "lue collar, shoulder

stri!s !i!!ed in &hite, and cus o "lue and &hite%

The dar# "lue trousers have a red stri!e do&n the

seam o each leg%

= &hite leather "u "elt

Gold "uttons that "ear The Queen's insignia

"un #acts

2our sentries are !osted &hen the Queen is in

residence, t&o are !osted &hen she9s not at home%

During /enry 311's reign 0hanging o the Guard &as

actually called the 0hanging o the Gourd, a title
reerring to the large marro&s or gourds that the
&atchmen originally &ore as !rotection on their heads%

The army have e>ui!!ed each guardsman &ith a device

they call a Dis!osa"le, 1ndividually6&ra!!ed, =rmy
Personnel E?cretion Rece!tacle or D%1%=%P%E%R%


"un #acts

The Queen9s Guard "elong to one o ive regiments

o 2oot Guards 6 Scots Guards, 1rish Guards, .elsh
Guards, Grenadier Guards and 0oldstream Guards%

=ll guardsmen &ear a ull dress uniorm yet it9s

!ossi"le to identiy the guard9s regiment "y its
clothing% Each regiment dons a dierent color
!lume, distinctly sha!ed "adges, and the "uttons on
the ront o their tunics are s!aced in a uni>ue
ashion%


Sources

.i#i!edia htt!@AAen%&i#i!edia%orgA

The Baltimore sun htt!@AA&&&%"altimoresun%comA

The oical &e"site o The British 8onarchy

htt!@AA&&&%royal%gov%u#A

ProBect Britain htt!@AA!roBect"ritain%comA