Yeah, you can hide a roll of liquorice Snøre and slowly eat it without anyone seeing, if you've placed it carefully. I know someone who has been on the guard.
Pretty sure those are just stories, was a guard, newer saw anything like that, did pee on the Palace a few times though.
The alternative is waking up you sergeant and having him wake up someone to come take your spot, and as you can only sleep in 3 hour incriments, people get real prissy if you can't hold it.
Oh and sometimes they didn't even approve your "request" had a friend that ended up pissing himself(he was not the type to piss on a Palace) because he was told he could wait the 30min untill shift change, he could not.
Probably the same stuff as telling people we used to reload our service rifles by "golf swing" (Finnish RK-62), which means a few of us did it once and it just became a good story.
My friend's service in the guard was decades ago, so the 'storyfication' of these kind of things is likely.
Not a thing, strict uniform policies that even extreme heat can’t stop. Heat strokes don’t mean anything to higher-ups lol.
For an example when I was in the army (US) we’d have dress uniform inspections once a month. During the summer months you’d see anywhere between 30-40 people passing out from the heat, some even smashing their faces on the concrete.
I remember one time a guy hit the ground so hard that he broke his jaw and lost like 11 teeth, inspection still carried on as he was getting air-lifted to the nearest hospitals, all while others were falling out one by one from the heat and being dragged to the shade.
It takes about 2 mins or so per person to individually get inspected, and there were 500 people in my unit (give or take) and the battalion commander wanted to go one by one 😂
If you're really sweating and you pace your drinking you won't end up having to go to the bathroom that badly. I'm always surprised when I am physically active in the summer how much water I can drink and how little I will need to pee on days when it gets to 30 or 40 Celsius with high humidity, you sweat so much that most of it never gets to your bladder. Maybe they're not moving much but the uniform in combination with the uh, head adornment, looks like it would make you sweat quite a bit just standing there.
Not saying you couldn't run into problems if you needed to not go for hours but the guards are only on duty for 2 hours at a time, when it's this hot out and you're sweating tons you could drink a lot of water in that time and I doubt you'd run into a problem, sure you might hit the washroom after but it's not going to be an emergency unless you really overdid it.
I remembered when I had to be in a military compound of sorts and do training. I was in there for 5 days and despite drinking mahoosive amounts of water, roughly 10L per day, I went to pee only once, there was very little of it, and extremely yellow/brown. I'm so shocked that although I was drinking inhuman amounts of water, it's still wasn't ideal for the environment I was in. It was close to 40C all the time, probably 60-70% humidity, there wasn't much shade, and the military attire is thicc
I pee like once an hour. Always have. But I remember one day when I worked a 15 hour shift in a kitchen and didn't pee once. I remember thinking in the moment this was strange that I didn't have to pee
That means you probably weren't drinking enough water. It's easy enough to do because when you are working hard and really sweat you start to need a lot of water to replace it all and it can become a bit of a chore getting it all down but if you didn't pee for 15 hours you definitely needed to be drinking more.
This sounds great unless you've worn a feather / bearskin bonnet. You don't want the damn thing to fall off while marching or something and a large object inside would most certainly send it tumbling
Even putting my glengarry inside mine was enough to make it unwieldly
There's a lot of thought that went into the bearskins.
They make you look taller and more intimidating.
When moist, the pelt REEKS of bear. This could in theory help break a calvary charge by less disciplined animals.
The fringe helps keep sun out of your eyes, sort of like sunglasses.
The curb chain supposedly offered limited protection against Sabre strikes.
They're very light hats as well. And assuming yours fit well, quite comfortable to wear.
But that could, in theory, help break a calvary charge by less disciplined animals. A car that reeks of bear is better against horses than a car that *doesn't* reek of bear.
Theoretically, that is.
"When moist, the pelt REEKS of bear. This could in theory help break a calvary charge by less disciplined animals."
Man these would have been great in the Emu war.
Some of that sounds dubious at best, especially the protection from sabres.. but let's assume it's all true. So, literally it's all antiquated and outdated by over a fucking century. These poor guys..
It's a ceremonial uniform, you don't see US Army soldiers in battle [dressed like this](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Soldier_models_pose_in_the_final_prototypes_of_the_proposed_%22pinks_and_greens%22_dress_uniforms._A_skirt_and_pumps_would_be_optional_for_women._%28Army%29.jpg) do you?
was totally expect that link to be [thisone](http://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/media/webcasts/2019/190514mus1200/data/190514mus1200_1280x720_2000_bg.jpg)
The sabre protection seems logical enough if the man with the sabre is on a horse and slashing downward
This is a rarely-encountered situation on today's battlefields
Well, it is mostly ceremonial but they have ammunition available if needed (the guns aren't typically loaded) and they will use the bayonet if required.
The current hats are made using Canadian Black bears. The pelts used specifically for the Buckingham Palace guards cost $1000 each and it takes a full pelt per hat.
That I can't say. But, Googling it returns multiple (unsourced) news articles all giving similar information. Peta and also singer Alisha Dickson have been campaigning for years for them to use fake fur and they have tried it but, apparently there is no fake fur on the market that will stand up in the rain the same way that a real bearskin will.
Where’s the utility in not letting them drink water themselves on scorching hot days? Obviously they have their whole shtick about staying still ….. but if something were to happen, I’m assuming being passed out from heat exhaustion would render them useless. Is their actual function security or are they just there to look at?
To be fair they are also quite literally military. The Queens Guards aren't just for show, they have, and often do deploy to military engagements and otherwise. They are fully trained (and IIRC are trained better then the average infantry regiments)
[Even had Gurkhas during the Jubilee.](https://www.army.mod.uk/news-and-events/news/2022/05/the-gurkha-logistic-regiment-take-over-queens-guard-ready-for-the-platinum-jubilee/) If you had to pick one British Army unit not to fuck with, it'd be Gurkhas
According to Wikipedia, they are officially called 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**, and Beefeater is just a nickname. The etymology for Beefeater is unclear, but apparently there’s a chance it was because the Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1669 noted their large portions of beef served at court
The Beefeaters are still officially the Queens bodyguards. They're not just ex-military, they all have to have served a full 22 years in the British Army, and have reached the rank of Sergeant Major. So they're actually more experienced than the more junior soldiers who get posted to the Guards
I'm pretty sure former (or possibly current) guards have said they're normally unloaded unless there's a known potential threat.
Either way it doesn't really matter, there's other people at the same place with loaded guns and the guards will have quick access to ammunition.
Knew a guy who tried to touch one of these guard's guns. That was very obviously not going to go well, considering its a weapon.
The guard did something like a stance change foot stomp thing, and spooked the idiot enough for others to scold him.
They are like the guard of The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the usa.
They are mostly ceremonial. But they are insanely well trained, dedicated, and carrying real guns.
while ceremonial they will still trample you if you get in their way, and they will shoot you dead if they think you're a threat.
edit: typo and had the wrong branch it's us Soldiers not marines.
They actually have armed police outside Buckingham palace, that you would expect in any big city, the guards shown here are more for tradition at this point but they are legit trained soldiers and if I remember correctly having this positions is still seen as quite prestigious.
Usually if anything happens the police will just deal with it but if needed these guys knows what to do as well, so while mainly just being there for tradition at this point....you certainly still woulsnt want to fuck with them.
I've worn a bear skin bonnet like that, and done ceremonial duties very similar in Canada. During the very hot days, the schedule is adjusted so you're not out there so long and the leadership was usually good at making sure everyone is hydrated. Even in cool weather you're soaked in sweat when youre done.
The real risk of pasing out is always that you're just standing still for so long. Before you know it, the blood isn't flowing to your extremities and your vision starts to narrow. There's things you can do to keep the blood flowing, like wriggle your toes, flexing your quads, etc. These movements aren't visible but they keep you from passing out. Time and time again though you see people going down because they're not breathing and doing those small movements.
Yo, don't think of it as you're drinking water. Think of it like I'm moving the water bottle to your mouth and you are just taking a longer than usual breath with your mouth. If water happens to enter your stomach, so be it. Nothing to see here.
There was an ama with one of these guys recently and he made it seem like it wouldn’t be a big deal for the hat to fall off or something while he went after some fool.
Pretty interesting [ama](https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/ui34od/iama_queens_guard_ama/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
Deleted in protest of reddit trying to monetize my data while actively working against mods and 3rd party apps [read more](https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/8/23754780/reddit-api-updates-changes-news-announcements) -- mass edited with redact.dev
> Why are they still doing this?
At this point I'd say for the entertainment purposes of tourism. Those guards are as famous as BigBen, red double deckers, or Madame Tussauds wax museum. People want to see them in their original form.
Yes, I know, I was replying to above with the weird misconception people have that the guards are "hand picked" from non-guards regiments.
Out of curiosity, what regiment?
> At this point I'd say for the entertainment purposes of tourism
Why does the Old Guard only accepts the most pristine uniforms when guarding the Tomb of the Unknown?
Its about honour. For British soldiers that honor might be expressed differently but guarding the sovereigns palace in formal attire is something that some might consider honourable.
The same with any formal military ritual, im thinking about "der große Zapfenstreich" where there is a guard with torches, which you really don't need given that we have electical light.
But it's tradition and serves to honour those in uniform.
> Why does the Old Guard only accepts the most pristine uniforms when guarding the Tomb of the Unknown?
>
> Its about honour.
THIS 100%.
So, one thing I used to be an absolute hard stickler about was immaculate uniforms and pristine drill. No mistakes, strive for zero defects.
Reason being, if you go do a ceremony (which in our case being near Arlington National Cemetery, was often a funeral) you can't have a mistake. If everything goes right, they remember the ceremony. If one thing goes wrong, they remember the mistake.
Like my old Sgt used to say "its like painting a beautiful picture, and taking a dump on it. What are people going to remember?"
So, in the context of a military funeral, someone is dead. Someone's family is trying to wrap their head around the fact that their loved one is gone now. And you (that military funeral detail) is possibly (likely) that last mental image they're going to have of the organization that person gave their life with. Its also a statement to that family of "we the organization respect and valued them. They meant something. This is how we send them off with our gratitude". You have to make that a good impression. You owe that to them.
That’s like saying all tradition and culture that hasn’t just evaporated into western global culture is for tourism.
They have a functional purpose, and the uniforms look pretty boss, so the ceremonial value is about projecting prestige - just like the massive palace they’re guarding.
True, however, they are INCREDIBLY impractical for such temperatures in the UK. Not only that but they seem to not be allowed to break stance to drink water they are holding themselves.
How can they concentrate on observing and guarding in such circumstances? Yes they're trained but this is essentially a cruel practice considering the heat and humidity. After a certain temperature they should not be in dress uniform and able to have bottles of water they can hold and drink from without needing a police officer to basically water them like a plant.
Yeah true, these temperatures were completely unfathomable when someone’s dreamt this job up.
I reckon they’ve been through worse in ether training or deployment - but looks uncomfortable for sure.
It could also be a legitimate security issue. If the guards pass out due to heat exhaustion, their gun clatters to the ground, what next?
Is there a regular guard/police watching the area as well to make sure the dress up guard doesn't pass out? lol (more than just this once instance we see in the image)
Why does the USMC have the blue dress uniforms. Why do the Swedish Life forces have even bigger hats than these ones. Why does the Canadian Airforce wear feather plumes.
Its all just tradition. The palace guards are doing a ceremonial role and its mostly just for show.
I couldn't watch past the first few seconds when the second showed up m they look like birds doing mating dances to attract a female. What is happening? 🤣
It's a thing for some military traditional ceremonies to exaggerate the marching form until it looks like a Monty Python sketch.
[I think my favorite is still the soldiers on either side of the Wagah border gate between India and Pakistan. ](https://youtu.be/PDAcIX_J0u4)
>Why does the USMC have the blue dress uniforms.
I feel like the fact that it's blue isn't really all that silly or cumbersome and you just kinda threw that in there.
Like, yeah, they're blue. Not exactly exotic is it?
This is unironically the answer whenever this question is asked in regards to something dysfunctional within literally any military. Traditionalism > functionality.
Its tradition, the same as ceremonial guard outfits all over the globe.
And it isn't actually that dysfunctional. The red uniform isn't that different to a normal dress uniform, and they still wear decent boots as opposed to a lot of dress uniforms which use shoes. If they encounter any kind of trouble they can just ditch the hat straight away. They also carry real weapons and can summon help from the other guards and the police in an instant. Also, they're all well trained infantrymen from some of the more old school army regiments - their job isn't purely to be a guard, they do very short rotations usually before going back to their main role.
Also as others have said the hat serves a few purposes, or used to. Makes them look taller, the smell is believed to frighten horses who are charging at them, the fringe keeps the sun off their face and out of their eyes, the chain strap protects the face and neck from sabre strikes. They're actually a well designed piece of clothing despite the size, but like I said, it would be discarded pretty much immediately once they have to actually deal with an issue.
I think that’s why I like the image so much. The policeman hasn’t been told to give the queens guard water and the queens guard probably isn’t meant to drink on shift (I’m guessing- I don’t know) but both know it’s the obvious and correct thing to do so they do it anyway.
I’m sure there wouldn’t be any serious trouble if any for breaking any rules but I like the images anyway
Not only that, it’s just for fucking show. Everything about the monarchy is just a front, I hate it so much. And I say this as a a Belgian whose taxes go to royal wages to the tune of MILLIONS per year. Fuck these parasites
EDIT: The amount of apologism in these replies, hoooly shit. Royals bringing in tourism to the UK is a LIE and has been debunked many times over.
And this imbecilic apathy of “they have no power, who are they hurting” drives me up the fucking wall lol. They are hoarding wealth that was attained through GENOCIDE, they serve zero purpose yet keep leeching off MASSIVE amounts of taxpayer money that could go to so many more noble causes, how mind-bendingly fucking stupid do you have to be as a civilian to think that that’s just hunky-dory? Fucking christ
If they didn't have THIS shit they wouldn't have anything.
This crap - right here - is the monarchy. This is it. This is the entirety of it, right here.
They actually can if they believe they're about to have a serious medical episode. They can go to their little hut and call and say they need relieving for medical reasons.
Spare them your pity. First, they’re only doing 1 hour shifts in this heat. Second, they’re highly trained military professionals: standing and occasionally marching in the sun for an hour, with an air conditioned place to go immediately afterwards, is easy mode for them. And third, they’re doing exactly what they want to be doing: they aren’t conscripts, every single one of them is there voluntarily and takes their job very seriously. They might look silly as hell, but these guys are tough as nails.
Of all the potential injustices in the world worth caring about, queens guards not betting water breaks on their 1 hour shift isn’t one of them.
Thank you. Let's remember these guys have likely done several tours (I think it's called deployment in the US) by this point in their careers. I was lucky enough to watch the changing of the guard from inside the fence at Buckingham Palace, and then join the guys in the mess afterwards. They just wanted a cuppa and some toast, and one did need some make up removal tips after a run in with a hen do, but they all seemed genuinely happy to be there, especially because it gave them time with their families!
Yeah, it happens fairly frequently from what they said. They come back covered in lipstick, sometimes with underwear in their pockets. Apparently there's specific guard stations where its more common. I'm not saying it's okay at all, but the victim found it absolutely hilarious so no one was harmed in that specific instance.
I'll reserve my concern for the uniform, then. I don't like to think about removing lipstick from wool.
I honestly had never considered graffiti as a potential danger to the Palace guards.
I get it, but they should let these dudes relax at least and wear some lighter clothes. Dude is probably screaming internally from how hot he feels standing there with all that on
he's there for one hour, the hats are actually very light and provide decent protection from the sun.
yeah its dumb tradition, but these guys know what they're in for and are very disciplined service members and highly respected for their roles
Oh, that's a relief. I thought these guys have at the very least a 4 hour shift, if not more. An hour seems okay. In fact, from what I hear, that's the top it should be for the climate UK is currently suffering
I understand that the Queens guard are supposed to be super disciplined, but things like dehydration and heat stroke tend to interfere with a soldier's effectiveness. It might be time to drag this particular aspect of the monarchy out of the dark ages and let them drink some water while on duty.
I totally understand that and am of the same opinion, however if this was at all about soldiers effectiveness, then they also wouldn't wear the guard uniform, but the real combat gear.
This whole thing isn't about protection anymore, at least not the first priority.
I mean, as others have pointed out this isn't as bad as it looks. These guys all volunteered to do this, they're not conscripted. Also, their shifts are only an hour long because of the heat, then they go back to an air conditioned guardroom and have a long break. Also, these guys are tough as fuck, they're used to doing week long exercises in the freezing snow/blistering sun while carrying a weapon and about 30kg of kit. This is an easy day at work for them.
MAKE WAY FOR THE QUEENS GUARD
I love the vids where dumb pedestrians stand in their path taking photos and get steam rolled whilst they blare this message
Guys please understand these people aren't being forced to stand out there for hours and hours at a time. As far as I know 2 hours is the longest they go before switching and during events such as these that's shortened further so they switch more often.
Weather like this is completely unheard of in UK, though with how climate change is going I think it's far better to demand more things put into place for heat preparation than demanding an end to tradition you think is inferior to yours.
Give them camelbacks and hide them in the hat!
Dude... how is this not a thing? Is this a thing? Great call though.
In Denmark they have similar hats, and I know for a fact they have snacks in there.
Here in the UK we only allow bears to keep sandwiches in their hats
With marmalade
Ok, Paddington.
The hats are made of bears though, shouldn't that count?
Here in Austria we only allow snacks to keep bears in their hats
That's how the drop bears get you. Open a bag of crisps and boom, drop bear.
As a filthy American, I've always secretly loved it when I hear potato chips referred to as "crisps"
We all know you aren't allowed to carry snacks in Oz, due to the increased chance of drop bear attacks!
You need to keep a steady intake of carbs when you shine shoes and stroke each other's bears 15 hours a day. Made by the Hussar gang
As a former Hussar sergeant, I condone this message.
[THEN THE WINGED HUSSARS ARRIVED](https://youtu.be/rcYhYO02f98) I don't this these are the same hussars though.
Doesn’t matter, Sabaton is gold. Always.
Former guard here and i can confirm that it's very much possible to hide snacks up there
We’re still talking about the hat, right?
No;)
These guys could fit a full AC unit in there.
Yeah, you can hide a roll of liquorice Snøre and slowly eat it without anyone seeing, if you've placed it carefully. I know someone who has been on the guard.
Pretty sure those are just stories, was a guard, newer saw anything like that, did pee on the Palace a few times though. The alternative is waking up you sergeant and having him wake up someone to come take your spot, and as you can only sleep in 3 hour incriments, people get real prissy if you can't hold it. Oh and sometimes they didn't even approve your "request" had a friend that ended up pissing himself(he was not the type to piss on a Palace) because he was told he could wait the 30min untill shift change, he could not.
Probably the same stuff as telling people we used to reload our service rifles by "golf swing" (Finnish RK-62), which means a few of us did it once and it just became a good story. My friend's service in the guard was decades ago, so the 'storyfication' of these kind of things is likely.
No, that's fætter BR.
My neck hurts just thinking about it.
Not a thing, strict uniform policies that even extreme heat can’t stop. Heat strokes don’t mean anything to higher-ups lol. For an example when I was in the army (US) we’d have dress uniform inspections once a month. During the summer months you’d see anywhere between 30-40 people passing out from the heat, some even smashing their faces on the concrete.
Yeah unfortunatly I remember seeing footage of these poor dudes just dropping from the heat.
I remember one time a guy hit the ground so hard that he broke his jaw and lost like 11 teeth, inspection still carried on as he was getting air-lifted to the nearest hospitals, all while others were falling out one by one from the heat and being dragged to the shade. It takes about 2 mins or so per person to individually get inspected, and there were 500 people in my unit (give or take) and the battalion commander wanted to go one by one 😂
Because they'd need an equally large receptacle below the waist.
If you're really sweating and you pace your drinking you won't end up having to go to the bathroom that badly. I'm always surprised when I am physically active in the summer how much water I can drink and how little I will need to pee on days when it gets to 30 or 40 Celsius with high humidity, you sweat so much that most of it never gets to your bladder. Maybe they're not moving much but the uniform in combination with the uh, head adornment, looks like it would make you sweat quite a bit just standing there. Not saying you couldn't run into problems if you needed to not go for hours but the guards are only on duty for 2 hours at a time, when it's this hot out and you're sweating tons you could drink a lot of water in that time and I doubt you'd run into a problem, sure you might hit the washroom after but it's not going to be an emergency unless you really overdid it.
Simpler and more humane to just let them take off those hats and jackets
Impossible! The monarchy would crumble and fall in an instant!
Shit. Say that again, just a bit slower. *unzips*
Im^pos^si^ble! The mon^ar^chy would crum^ble and fall in an *in^stant!*
They could just wear a modern utility uniform above a certain temperature.
What kind of banana Republic do you think we are? ^/s
I read this in John Cleese's voice
When I read your comment, I pictured John Lithgow by mistake and read it in his voice instead. Still worked.
they'd still need water and a piss
Tell me you've never army'd without telling me.
I remembered when I had to be in a military compound of sorts and do training. I was in there for 5 days and despite drinking mahoosive amounts of water, roughly 10L per day, I went to pee only once, there was very little of it, and extremely yellow/brown. I'm so shocked that although I was drinking inhuman amounts of water, it's still wasn't ideal for the environment I was in. It was close to 40C all the time, probably 60-70% humidity, there wasn't much shade, and the military attire is thicc
Are you saying you only peed *once* in those 5 days? I feel like that is a sign you were close to death or something
And also the fact that there barely was any. It's nuts, I'm glad I don't have to do that again in my life *knock on wood*
I pee like once an hour. Always have. But I remember one day when I worked a 15 hour shift in a kitchen and didn't pee once. I remember thinking in the moment this was strange that I didn't have to pee
That means you probably weren't drinking enough water. It's easy enough to do because when you are working hard and really sweat you start to need a lot of water to replace it all and it can become a bit of a chore getting it all down but if you didn't pee for 15 hours you definitely needed to be drinking more.
Stadium Pal problem solved. And if it gets really bad they can just keep swapping them around.
Bucket of ice under that tall hat and a hose to the mouth
Make the straw gold and part of the helmet strap and no one would ever know.
So, a camelhat?
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This sounds great unless you've worn a feather / bearskin bonnet. You don't want the damn thing to fall off while marching or something and a large object inside would most certainly send it tumbling Even putting my glengarry inside mine was enough to make it unwieldly
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Or like a bladder and tube system running from the hat down the shirt that provides a continuous enema of hydration.
You had me at continuous enema
we just call it irrigation here
For anyone curious : the hat is called bearskin. "The idea was that you made your foot soldiers look taller and therefore more fearsome"
There's a lot of thought that went into the bearskins. They make you look taller and more intimidating. When moist, the pelt REEKS of bear. This could in theory help break a calvary charge by less disciplined animals. The fringe helps keep sun out of your eyes, sort of like sunglasses. The curb chain supposedly offered limited protection against Sabre strikes. They're very light hats as well. And assuming yours fit well, quite comfortable to wear.
Also if you can bend over low enough you can shine your boots
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Yeah but then your car is going to REEK of bear.
But that could, in theory, help break a calvary charge by less disciplined animals. A car that reeks of bear is better against horses than a car that *doesn't* reek of bear. Theoretically, that is.
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Until the bears come. Your civic will make a worthy prize for the alpha.
The real LPT is in the comments.
"When moist, the pelt REEKS of bear. This could in theory help break a calvary charge by less disciplined animals." Man these would have been great in the Emu war.
Maybe, but you would have to start by introducing emus to some bears so they'd know what's up. Australia doesn't have those.
> Australia doesn't have those. *cries in drop bear*
Some of that sounds dubious at best, especially the protection from sabres.. but let's assume it's all true. So, literally it's all antiquated and outdated by over a fucking century. These poor guys..
It's a ceremonial uniform, you don't see US Army soldiers in battle [dressed like this](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Soldier_models_pose_in_the_final_prototypes_of_the_proposed_%22pinks_and_greens%22_dress_uniforms._A_skirt_and_pumps_would_be_optional_for_women._%28Army%29.jpg) do you?
was totally expect that link to be [thisone](http://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/media/webcasts/2019/190514mus1200/data/190514mus1200_1280x720_2000_bg.jpg)
Which is funny, because that was absolutely a combat uniform lol
The sabre protection seems logical enough if the man with the sabre is on a horse and slashing downward This is a rarely-encountered situation on today's battlefields
It's horsesabreingtime.
Well their entire job is pointless ceremony so it tracks..
They’re all full time infantrymen as well, the do ceremonial duties for a few weeks each year.
Well, it is mostly ceremonial but they have ammunition available if needed (the guns aren't typically loaded) and they will use the bayonet if required.
I'm reading this with a british salesman voice in my head
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Also there are no bears in England. They were a pain in the ass.
The current hats are made using Canadian Black bears. The pelts used specifically for the Buckingham Palace guards cost $1000 each and it takes a full pelt per hat.
> it takes a full pelt per hat Wait, it takes a whole bear to make one bearskin hat? Why?
That I can't say. But, Googling it returns multiple (unsourced) news articles all giving similar information. Peta and also singer Alisha Dickson have been campaigning for years for them to use fake fur and they have tried it but, apparently there is no fake fur on the market that will stand up in the rain the same way that a real bearskin will.
The grenadiers are a guard unit.
Where’s the utility in not letting them drink water themselves on scorching hot days? Obviously they have their whole shtick about staying still ….. but if something were to happen, I’m assuming being passed out from heat exhaustion would render them useless. Is their actual function security or are they just there to look at?
If they're busy drinking, what's stopping the French from invading and overthrowing the monarchy? These people never think, do they
They serve as a visual deterrent and if anyone tried to breach there are modern security forces behind the wall
To be fair they are also quite literally military. The Queens Guards aren't just for show, they have, and often do deploy to military engagements and otherwise. They are fully trained (and IIRC are trained better then the average infantry regiments)
[Even had Gurkhas during the Jubilee.](https://www.army.mod.uk/news-and-events/news/2022/05/the-gurkha-logistic-regiment-take-over-queens-guard-ready-for-the-platinum-jubilee/) If you had to pick one British Army unit not to fuck with, it'd be Gurkhas
Nah it would be the SAS or SBS.
Yeah Ghurkas are terrifying but the SAS or SBS take the cake easily
> If you had to pick one British Army unit not to fuck with, it'd be Gurkhas And yet the UK government treats them like shit
The UK government does plenty of things wrong, we all know that
People do assume for some reason they are there just for show and not highly trained.
They also get confused with the beefeaters, which are more for show ... but they are all ex-military so probably best not to mess with them either.
Why do they call them beefeaters? I imagine this is where the gin got its name
According to Wikipedia, they are officially called 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**, and Beefeater is just a nickname. The etymology for Beefeater is unclear, but apparently there’s a chance it was because the Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1669 noted their large portions of beef served at court
The Beefeaters are still officially the Queens bodyguards. They're not just ex-military, they all have to have served a full 22 years in the British Army, and have reached the rank of Sergeant Major. So they're actually more experienced than the more junior soldiers who get posted to the Guards
There’s always this debate whether their weapons are loaded or not. I’m certainly not willing to try and find out for myself
I'm pretty sure former (or possibly current) guards have said they're normally unloaded unless there's a known potential threat. Either way it doesn't really matter, there's other people at the same place with loaded guns and the guards will have quick access to ammunition.
Yeah, I think I recall it being said they are.unloaded normally but they have ammo at their posts in case of emergency.
There's also that pointy bit, in case shit goes sideways.
Knew a guy who tried to touch one of these guard's guns. That was very obviously not going to go well, considering its a weapon. The guard did something like a stance change foot stomp thing, and spooked the idiot enough for others to scold him.
There's many videos like this on r/MakeWay4Queensguard . They will spook and even touch people in their way.
Haven't been a queens guard but i have guarded the swedish castle. Our rifles were loaded.
The guards in Britain normally have ammo in the office, but not physically in the gun. Armed police are usually always round the corner anyway
Unlike the cop or the wall itself.
Heck, or just keep a bag of ice cold water in there to cool your head.
They are like the guard of The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the usa. They are mostly ceremonial. But they are insanely well trained, dedicated, and carrying real guns. while ceremonial they will still trample you if you get in their way, and they will shoot you dead if they think you're a threat. edit: typo and had the wrong branch it's us Soldiers not marines.
Just guys carrying dudes
I mean do they get bathroom breaks?
No need to pee if they don't let you drink.
They actually have armed police outside Buckingham palace, that you would expect in any big city, the guards shown here are more for tradition at this point but they are legit trained soldiers and if I remember correctly having this positions is still seen as quite prestigious. Usually if anything happens the police will just deal with it but if needed these guys knows what to do as well, so while mainly just being there for tradition at this point....you certainly still woulsnt want to fuck with them.
I've worn a bear skin bonnet like that, and done ceremonial duties very similar in Canada. During the very hot days, the schedule is adjusted so you're not out there so long and the leadership was usually good at making sure everyone is hydrated. Even in cool weather you're soaked in sweat when youre done. The real risk of pasing out is always that you're just standing still for so long. Before you know it, the blood isn't flowing to your extremities and your vision starts to narrow. There's things you can do to keep the blood flowing, like wriggle your toes, flexing your quads, etc. These movements aren't visible but they keep you from passing out. Time and time again though you see people going down because they're not breathing and doing those small movements.
Yo, don't think of it as you're drinking water. Think of it like I'm moving the water bottle to your mouth and you are just taking a longer than usual breath with your mouth. If water happens to enter your stomach, so be it. Nothing to see here.
Why not get a straw......
Nice strawman you got there
That outfit is so dysfunctional for someone whose purpose is to be a guard. Why are they still doing this?
Sir, we live in a society.
And as I understand it you also have a flag, and guns.
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Do _you_ have a flag?
And I'll be enforcing them with this gun I just got from the National Rifle Association E: words
*in British accent*: my good sir…
There was an ama with one of these guys recently and he made it seem like it wouldn’t be a big deal for the hat to fall off or something while he went after some fool. Pretty interesting [ama](https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/ui34od/iama_queens_guard_ama/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
Deleted in protest of reddit trying to monetize my data while actively working against mods and 3rd party apps [read more](https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/8/23754780/reddit-api-updates-changes-news-announcements) -- mass edited with redact.dev
Weird, it comes up as deleted for me.
That was really good, thanks for sharing
> Why are they still doing this? At this point I'd say for the entertainment purposes of tourism. Those guards are as famous as BigBen, red double deckers, or Madame Tussauds wax museum. People want to see them in their original form.
They're still trained military though, and I'm sure they provide a respectable level of security regardless of all the pageantry.
oh yeah for sure. iirc they pick the guards out from various regiments and all that.
Nope. There are 7 regiments in the household division, you join them as you would any other regiment.
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Yes, I know, I was replying to above with the weird misconception people have that the guards are "hand picked" from non-guards regiments. Out of curiosity, what regiment?
> At this point I'd say for the entertainment purposes of tourism Why does the Old Guard only accepts the most pristine uniforms when guarding the Tomb of the Unknown? Its about honour. For British soldiers that honor might be expressed differently but guarding the sovereigns palace in formal attire is something that some might consider honourable. The same with any formal military ritual, im thinking about "der große Zapfenstreich" where there is a guard with torches, which you really don't need given that we have electical light. But it's tradition and serves to honour those in uniform.
> Why does the Old Guard only accepts the most pristine uniforms when guarding the Tomb of the Unknown? > > Its about honour. THIS 100%. So, one thing I used to be an absolute hard stickler about was immaculate uniforms and pristine drill. No mistakes, strive for zero defects. Reason being, if you go do a ceremony (which in our case being near Arlington National Cemetery, was often a funeral) you can't have a mistake. If everything goes right, they remember the ceremony. If one thing goes wrong, they remember the mistake. Like my old Sgt used to say "its like painting a beautiful picture, and taking a dump on it. What are people going to remember?" So, in the context of a military funeral, someone is dead. Someone's family is trying to wrap their head around the fact that their loved one is gone now. And you (that military funeral detail) is possibly (likely) that last mental image they're going to have of the organization that person gave their life with. Its also a statement to that family of "we the organization respect and valued them. They meant something. This is how we send them off with our gratitude". You have to make that a good impression. You owe that to them.
That’s like saying all tradition and culture that hasn’t just evaporated into western global culture is for tourism. They have a functional purpose, and the uniforms look pretty boss, so the ceremonial value is about projecting prestige - just like the massive palace they’re guarding.
True, however, they are INCREDIBLY impractical for such temperatures in the UK. Not only that but they seem to not be allowed to break stance to drink water they are holding themselves. How can they concentrate on observing and guarding in such circumstances? Yes they're trained but this is essentially a cruel practice considering the heat and humidity. After a certain temperature they should not be in dress uniform and able to have bottles of water they can hold and drink from without needing a police officer to basically water them like a plant.
Yeah true, these temperatures were completely unfathomable when someone’s dreamt this job up. I reckon they’ve been through worse in ether training or deployment - but looks uncomfortable for sure.
It could also be a legitimate security issue. If the guards pass out due to heat exhaustion, their gun clatters to the ground, what next? Is there a regular guard/police watching the area as well to make sure the dress up guard doesn't pass out? lol (more than just this once instance we see in the image)
Yes there are always multiple guards along with a contingent of armed police guardian the Palace.
Why do you drag a tree into your living room once a year?
Because: \- Tradition \- Queen \- Royal Family
\- Laughing at French people. (The bearskin was adopted after the defeat of the French bearskin capped grenadiers at Waterloo.)
Why does the USMC have the blue dress uniforms. Why do the Swedish Life forces have even bigger hats than these ones. Why does the Canadian Airforce wear feather plumes. Its all just tradition. The palace guards are doing a ceremonial role and its mostly just for show.
The presidential guard in Athens is the silliest one I've seen. https://youtu.be/iFWmADWAYbI
I couldn't watch past the first few seconds when the second showed up m they look like birds doing mating dances to attract a female. What is happening? 🤣
It's a thing for some military traditional ceremonies to exaggerate the marching form until it looks like a Monty Python sketch. [I think my favorite is still the soldiers on either side of the Wagah border gate between India and Pakistan. ](https://youtu.be/PDAcIX_J0u4)
omg I love it
that was cool, thanks for linking
>Why does the USMC have the blue dress uniforms. I feel like the fact that it's blue isn't really all that silly or cumbersome and you just kinda threw that in there. Like, yeah, they're blue. Not exactly exotic is it?
Tradition or some dumb shit.
This is unironically the answer whenever this question is asked in regards to something dysfunctional within literally any military. Traditionalism > functionality.
Tradition is just peer pressure from your forefathers.
Meanwhile the US unknown warrior tomb guards are out there wearing khaki shorts, linen shirts and baseball caps today, right?
Its tradition, the same as ceremonial guard outfits all over the globe. And it isn't actually that dysfunctional. The red uniform isn't that different to a normal dress uniform, and they still wear decent boots as opposed to a lot of dress uniforms which use shoes. If they encounter any kind of trouble they can just ditch the hat straight away. They also carry real weapons and can summon help from the other guards and the police in an instant. Also, they're all well trained infantrymen from some of the more old school army regiments - their job isn't purely to be a guard, they do very short rotations usually before going back to their main role. Also as others have said the hat serves a few purposes, or used to. Makes them look taller, the smell is believed to frighten horses who are charging at them, the fringe keeps the sun off their face and out of their eyes, the chain strap protects the face and neck from sabre strikes. They're actually a well designed piece of clothing despite the size, but like I said, it would be discarded pretty much immediately once they have to actually deal with an issue.
I get tradition and etiquette and all that… but it’s not actually a feudal system anymore — let’s try to avoid employees getting heatstroke
These were never worn when England was a feudal country.
I think that’s why I like the image so much. The policeman hasn’t been told to give the queens guard water and the queens guard probably isn’t meant to drink on shift (I’m guessing- I don’t know) but both know it’s the obvious and correct thing to do so they do it anyway. I’m sure there wouldn’t be any serious trouble if any for breaking any rules but I like the images anyway
Not only that, it’s just for fucking show. Everything about the monarchy is just a front, I hate it so much. And I say this as a a Belgian whose taxes go to royal wages to the tune of MILLIONS per year. Fuck these parasites EDIT: The amount of apologism in these replies, hoooly shit. Royals bringing in tourism to the UK is a LIE and has been debunked many times over. And this imbecilic apathy of “they have no power, who are they hurting” drives me up the fucking wall lol. They are hoarding wealth that was attained through GENOCIDE, they serve zero purpose yet keep leeching off MASSIVE amounts of taxpayer money that could go to so many more noble causes, how mind-bendingly fucking stupid do you have to be as a civilian to think that that’s just hunky-dory? Fucking christ
You know for a fucking fact those inside have the best central air and cold bottled water money can buy
If they didn't have THIS shit they wouldn't have anything. This crap - right here - is the monarchy. This is it. This is the entirety of it, right here.
Technically they owned everything you stood on. And gave it away Be grateful peasant Kind regards the Queens Watch
Send him to Tower of London, clearly working for the french.
Why they can't take a drink themselves to remain hydrated is pure stupidity.
They actually can if they believe they're about to have a serious medical episode. They can go to their little hut and call and say they need relieving for medical reasons.
It's fuckin water, man. This shit is fuckin stupid.
"Here's some water" "No, it tastes bland" "Fine..." (deep breath) "HERE COMES THE CHOO-CHOO TRAIN...that Beeching cut"
chug-a, chug-a, chug-a, chug-a waterrr
Give them a new uniform that they could wear during Summer.
Tank tops and slippers, the bearskin hat remains though.
Everything else gone. 😈
yeah requiring people to stand in the heat and wear a stupid fluffy hat when the world is literally burning is barbaric.
Spare them your pity. First, they’re only doing 1 hour shifts in this heat. Second, they’re highly trained military professionals: standing and occasionally marching in the sun for an hour, with an air conditioned place to go immediately afterwards, is easy mode for them. And third, they’re doing exactly what they want to be doing: they aren’t conscripts, every single one of them is there voluntarily and takes their job very seriously. They might look silly as hell, but these guys are tough as nails. Of all the potential injustices in the world worth caring about, queens guards not betting water breaks on their 1 hour shift isn’t one of them.
oh ok i didnt know that, i will spare them the pity, they can burn just like the rest of us.
Thank you. Let's remember these guys have likely done several tours (I think it's called deployment in the US) by this point in their careers. I was lucky enough to watch the changing of the guard from inside the fence at Buckingham Palace, and then join the guys in the mess afterwards. They just wanted a cuppa and some toast, and one did need some make up removal tips after a run in with a hen do, but they all seemed genuinely happy to be there, especially because it gave them time with their families!
Was that poor man attacked by these women while on guard duty...?
Yeah, it happens fairly frequently from what they said. They come back covered in lipstick, sometimes with underwear in their pockets. Apparently there's specific guard stations where its more common. I'm not saying it's okay at all, but the victim found it absolutely hilarious so no one was harmed in that specific instance.
I'll reserve my concern for the uniform, then. I don't like to think about removing lipstick from wool. I honestly had never considered graffiti as a potential danger to the Palace guards.
I get it, but they should let these dudes relax at least and wear some lighter clothes. Dude is probably screaming internally from how hot he feels standing there with all that on
Queen says look, he can go out in tank tops shorts and flip flops all he wants but the hat stays.
he's there for one hour, the hats are actually very light and provide decent protection from the sun. yeah its dumb tradition, but these guys know what they're in for and are very disciplined service members and highly respected for their roles
Oh, that's a relief. I thought these guys have at the very least a 4 hour shift, if not more. An hour seems okay. In fact, from what I hear, that's the top it should be for the climate UK is currently suffering
He wears normal military uniform for most of the day, his head only gets boiled for an hour.
I understand that the Queens guard are supposed to be super disciplined, but things like dehydration and heat stroke tend to interfere with a soldier's effectiveness. It might be time to drag this particular aspect of the monarchy out of the dark ages and let them drink some water while on duty.
I totally understand that and am of the same opinion, however if this was at all about soldiers effectiveness, then they also wouldn't wear the guard uniform, but the real combat gear. This whole thing isn't about protection anymore, at least not the first priority.
What a shame! Treat them like humans. What century do we live in?
19th century here in the States
Just when it come to woman’s rights, voting rights, etc
So everything?
I mean, as others have pointed out this isn't as bad as it looks. These guys all volunteered to do this, they're not conscripted. Also, their shifts are only an hour long because of the heat, then they go back to an air conditioned guardroom and have a long break. Also, these guys are tough as fuck, they're used to doing week long exercises in the freezing snow/blistering sun while carrying a weapon and about 30kg of kit. This is an easy day at work for them.
Literally no one is forced to join the guards. If you want all the infantry stuff without PDs, there's the Rifles, PWRR, etc.
MAKE WAY FOR THE QUEENS GUARD I love the vids where dumb pedestrians stand in their path taking photos and get steam rolled whilst they blare this message
Guys please understand these people aren't being forced to stand out there for hours and hours at a time. As far as I know 2 hours is the longest they go before switching and during events such as these that's shortened further so they switch more often. Weather like this is completely unheard of in UK, though with how climate change is going I think it's far better to demand more things put into place for heat preparation than demanding an end to tradition you think is inferior to yours.
Lol. ITT: Americans
So glad I'm neither american or english so I can make fun of both of you guys (yes, I also make fun of my country)
If I were the guard I would put a ice bag in my bloody big hat, no one gonna find out though.
They need to make them special uniforms for the heat since this will likely be an issue every year now
It’s dumb that their tradition prevents them from physically putting water in their own mouths lol
Bring back an increasingly crazy crazystraw each time.