Which guards wear bearskins

Sign up to British Heritage Travel's daily newsletter here! Subscribe here to receive British Heritage Travel's print magazine! BHT newsletter Subscribe to our Newsletter. You May Also Like. Most Read Most Recent. Surprising nicknames The Royals The Royals are just like any other family, which means they all hav Five Victorian buildings in Lond Here are five of London's most beautiful buildings built during the Prince Charles reads the weather Prince Charles The weatherman!

Queen Emma of Normandy found bur Are the remains of Queen Emma of Normandy among the 1, bones fou The history of Queen Victoria's It was Queen Victora's summer home, but what else do we need to kno Pretty Pembrokeshire - the Welsh Documentary makes fascinating cl The first thing to be aware of when admiring the smartly turned out guards, is that they are all operational soldiers, and that standing guard at a palace is only a ceremonial duty.

The primary role of all the regiments of the Household Division is as combat forces; all have fought with distinction and won many battle honours during their history. The Queen is Colonel-in-Chief of all the regiments of the division. Although their role is largely ceremonial, and the police provide the bulk of actual security protection for The Queen and other members of the Royal Family, guards do carry rifles fitted with a bayonet. For security reasons, it is never confirmed whether or not the rifles are loaded, but it is generally thought that they are not loaded with live ammunition.

This does not stop the guards stepping in when there has been a breach of security, most famously at the Trooping the Colour parade in a man shot six blank rounds as Her Majesty passed by on horseback on the Mall, and a foot guards corporal, who was nearest to the man, grabbed him and wrestled him to the ground. A mistake often made is the name given to the foot guards famous tall fur hats, or caps. They wear a bearskin, not to be mistaken for the smaller busby which is worn by the Royal Horse Artillery when on ceremonial duties.

The standard bearskin of the British Foot Guards is approx. These furs come from culled bears — the animals are not hunted for sport, but under licence by native Inuit hunters in a Canadian government programme to keep numbers under control — and is used for its warmth, water-resistance nature, and ability to retain its shape.

An animal-free alternative has been sought for a number of years, but no material has met the requirements. These are worn in the summer months — April until October. During autumn and winter they change into great coats — long grey coats — much more practical for the weather they have to endure while standing guard outside Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle. Officers tunics are embellished with fine gold thread and have gold buttons as opposed to other ranks silver buttons.

The Grenadier Guards is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this being The Life Guards. When performing ceremonial duties, the Grenadiers can be identified by the buttons on their tunics being equally spaced apart, a white plume on the left side of the bearskin, a grenade on their collar badge, and the royal cipher on the shoulder.

They are based at Wellington Barracks and Aldershot. The Grenadiers have a grenade on their collar, equally spaced buttons and a white plume Mick Bakerrooster. The Coldstream Guards were founded in and are the oldest regiment in the British Army in continuous active service. The regiment is second in precedence behind the Grenadier Guards; this is because the Grenadiers have served the crown for longer as an English and royalist regiment.

The Coldstream Guards can be recognised by their tunic buttons being arranged in pairs, a red plume worn on the right, a garter star on the collar badge, and a rose shoulder badge. You know the ones — silent and unsmiling. Stationed in doorways and sentry boxes. Marching with exaggerated steps — usually with an SA80 assault rifle in hand, bayonet fixed. Moving in time to It's Not Unusual it's true, we heard it for ourselves. The duty of the Queen's Guard is to defend the royal residence — and make no mistake, that is exactly what they are there to do.

Ceremonial they may appear, but these are active British Army soldiers drawn from the five regiments of the Foot Guards. You may have also seen videos of tourists testing the Guard's patience. Or getting in their way like this:. But what is it that's perched on the Guardman's head? That thing that makes them look like a gaggle of Marge Simpsons who've discovered Schwarzkopf ? It's called a 'bearskin', a type of ceremonial military cap that dates back to the 17th century.