Information AboutQueen's Guard |
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The Queen's Guard and '''Queen's Life Guard''' are the names given to contingents of Cavalry and Infantry soldiers charged with guarding the official Royal Residences in London. The British Army has had regiments of both Horse Guards and Foot Guards since before the Restoration of King Charles II , and, since 1660 , these have been responsible for guarding the Sovereign Palaces. WHERE? The Queen's Guard and Queen's Life Guard is mounted at the royal residences which come under the operating area of London District , which is responsible for the administration of the Household Division ; this covers Buckingham Palace , St James's Palace and the Tower Of London , as well as Windsor Castle . The Queen's Guard is also mounted at the sovereign's other official residence, the Palace Of Holyroodhouse , but not as regularly as in London. In Edinburgh , the guard is the responsibility of the resident infantry battalion at Redford Barracks . It is not mounted at the Queen's private residences at Sandringham or Balmoral . QUEEN'S GUARD The Queen's Guard is the name given to the contingent of Infantry responsible for guarding Buckingham Palace and St. James's Palace (including Clarence House ) in London . The guard is made up of a Company of soldiers from a single Regiment , which is split in two, providing a detachment for Buckingham Palace and a detachment for St James's Palace. Because the Sovereign's official residence is still St James's, the guard commander (called the 'Captain of the Guard') is based there, as are the regiment's Colours . When the Sovereign is in residence, the Queen's Guard numbers three officers and 40 other ranks, with four sentries each posted at Buckingham Palace (on the forecourt) and St James's Palace (two at the main entrance in Pall Mall , two in Friary Court). This reduces to three officers and 31 ORs, with two sentries each when the Sovereign is not in residence. The Queen's Guard is not purely ceremonial in nature. They provide sentries during the day and night, and during the latter hours they patrol the grounds of the Palace. Until 1959 , the sentries at Buckingham Palace were stationed outside the fence. This stopped following an incident involving a female tourist and a Coldstream Guardsman - due to the continued pestering of tourists and sightseers, the guardsman kicked the tourist on the ankle as he marched. The tourist made a complaint to the police and, despite sympathy, the sentry was confined to barracks for ten days. Not long after, the sentries were moved inside the fence. Postings At any one time, three infantry Battalions are posted for Public Duties ; two of these are Guards battalions (one based at Wellington Barracks next to Buckingham Palace and one at Victoria Barracks in Windsor), while the third is a line infantry unit (based at Cavalry Barracks, Hounslow ). In addition, there are three Incremental Companies based at Chelsea Barracks . All of these units come under the administrative authority of London District - as public duties units, they not only take part in ceremonial, but are also committed to providing military aid to the civilian authorities. Foot Guards The guard is usually found from one of the five regiments of Foot Guards : However, any unit that has sworn allegiance to the Monarch can provide the guard. On many occasions, the Gurkhas , RAF Regiment and Royal Marines have provided the guard, while a handful of units from Commonwealth Realms have also done so (see Below ). Gurkhas, Royal Marines and RAF Regiment The following is a list of units of the Gurkhas and Royal Marines to have mounted the Queen's Guard since the Second World War Line Infantry Prior to Options For Change , because there were a total of eight guards battalions, it was rare for battalions of line infantry to mount the Queen's Guard and, as such, was a significant honour. Before 1996 , only two battalions had served on public duties as part of an operational tour in London District. However, when the 2nd Battalions of the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards and Scots Guards were put in suspended animation, a decision to replace one of the three Foot Guard battalions then engaged on Public Duties by a line infantry battalion was taken, so as to enable the Foot Guards battalion to increase the proportion of its effort employed on training for operational roles. Since 1996 , a line infantry battalion has been stationed at Hounslow under the command of London District: Windsor Castle and The Tower of London One of the Public Duties battalions or incremental companies is responsible for providing the guard at Windsor Castle . The location of the ceremony at Windsor varies; in the Summer , when the Queen is in residence it usually takes place on the lawn in the Castle's quadrangle. In wet weather or Winter to protect the lawn, or when the Queen is not in residence, the ceremony occurs outside the Guardroom by Henry VIII's Gateway at the foot of Castle Hill. A detachment of the regiment on guard at Buckingham Palace and St James's Palace is also responsible for providing the guard at the Tower Of London . As the Tower is still officially a royal residence, and is also the location of the Crown Jewels , it remains the army's obligation to guard it. The Tower guard numbers one officer, 6 NCOs and 15 soldiers, and usually posts a sentry outside the Jewel House and one outside the Queen's House . As the protection of the Tower is their responsibility (in conjunction with the Yeomen Warders , and the Jewel House wardens), the guard must also see it is secure at night. (see Ceremony Of The Keys ). Edinburgh The Guard is also mounted in Edinburgh at the Palace Of Holyroodhouse , the Queen's official residence in Scotland , and at Edinburgh Castle . Unlike in London, there is no Guards battalion permanently based in the city, so the guard is provided by whichever the resident infantry battalion is at Redford Barracks in the city (currently as of August 2005 , this is 2nd Battalion, The Light Infantry ). The guard is not mounted throughout the year - it is usually mounted daily during the week that the Queen spends at the palace (prior to her summer break at Balmoral ), and during the Lord Commissioner's Week . Until 2002 , sentries were permanently posted on the Esplanade at the entrance of the castle, ostensibly as the guards to the Honours Of Scotland housed inside. The sentries were changed every hour. However, cutbacks in the size of the army led to the permaent castle guard being abolished - now, the guard is mounted at the same time as the guard at the Palace, or when there is a royal visitor to Edinburgh. Sentries are also posted during the month of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo , usually from a unit that has an anniversary from the year. Incidents The Queen's Guard is an operational posting, with the primary purpose of protecting the Sovereign. However, there have been a handful of incidents over the years when this protection has been tested; in 1981 , a man named Michael Fagan was able to evade the sentries stationed in the grounds of Buckingham Palace and make his way to the Queen's bedroom, before he was captured by police. In this instance, security of the Queen's room was the task of the Metropolitan Police . In 2004 , a member of the pressure group Fathers4Justice spent 5 1/2 hours standing on the parapet by the balcony at the front of Buckingham Palace (See Fathers 4 Justice Buckingham Palace Protest ). Again, the security was the primary responsibility of the Metropolitan Police ; although the Queen was not present at the time, it raised fears of the possiblity of a terrorist attack on the palace, and gave rise to calls for the army to be given a greater hand in the overall security of the Royal Family.
Arms Plot Battalions on public duties are part of the regular arms plot; this is where infantry battalions are periodically rotated to various locations and different roles. From approximately 2006 , the arms plot system will cease — battalions will be given fixed roles and locations. In theory, this will include public duties in London, which will retain its two guards and one line infantry battalion. However, for unpopular postings (including public duties), Light Role Infantry battalions will continue to rotate. Commonwealth Units to have mounted the King's/Queen's Guard The following is a list of units from the British Empire and Commonwealth to have mounted the King's Guard/Queen's Guard. |
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