Are the guards at Buckingham Palace Swiss?

Answer 1

Britain's Household CavalryNot necessarily. Perhaps you are confusing the Household Cavalry with the ceremonial troops that guard the Pope and the Vatican.The guards at Buckingham Palace may come from other countries such as the Netherlands but for the most part they are British subjects or come from a Commonwealth country. There recently was a good documentary on PBS done in Britain on the suject of the two main divisions - the Lifeguards and the Blues and Royals.

Here is a link to the Household Cavalry's website: http://www.householdcavalry.gvon.com/about.htm

AnswerThe Pope's guards at the Vatican are Swiss.

The Palace Guards in Britain include both infantry and mounted soldiers.

The Infantry units are 5 regiments that have the special designation "Guards Regiments". During the Napoleonic Wars, the first 5 regiments were known as "Foot Guards" and were numbered 1 thru 5.

Now the 5 regiments are: Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards, & Welsh Guards. These regiments stand guard at the various palaces of the royal family, but they also each send a battalion to serve in the wars.

While on guard duty, they wear a bright red tunic with buttons arranged in different patterns to distinguish each regiment. Also, the plume on the bearskin hats have different colors for each regiment.

The Household cavalry includes 2 regiments, one wearing blue tunic and one a red.

During special royal events, such as weddings, you will see the Palace Guards on display and marching through the streets.

The other "guard" unit that you may see are the Beefeaters, who are dressed in an older style uniform that dates back to the 15th Century. The Beefeaters real title is Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, (where you will normally see them) . - They must all be retired senior NCO's of the British armed forces.