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36-702: The Household Cavalry ( HCAV ) is a corps of the Household Division that is made up of the two most senior regiments of the British Army – The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) . They have taken part in every major conflict since 1660. These regiments are divided between the Household Cavalry Regiment stationed at Wing Barracks in Wiltshire, with an armored reconnaissance role, and

72-467: A Formation Reconnaissance Regiment , serving in armoured fighting vehicles including the Warrior and Ajax , operating far ahead of the main body of friendly forces. Their role is to locate and report on the movement and disposition of enemy forces, and engage and destroy enemy reconnaissance elements that are seeking to do do the same. The regiment forms one of five formation reconnaissance regiments in

108-409: A day, at Hyde Park Barracks . Farriers traditionally combined veterinary knowledge with blacksmiths ' skills. They were responsible for hoof trimming and fitting horseshoes to horses. They also dealt with the "humane dispatch of wounded and sick horses", accomplished with the large spike on the end of their axes. Then they used the sharp blade of the axe to chop off the deceased animal's hoof, which

144-555: A panicked flight through central London. Colliding with vehicles and pedestrians, two of the horses suffered serious injuries. Three soldiers were among those injured and were taken to hospital. The Household Cavalry is supported by the Household Cavalry Foundation, the regimental charity, which raises funds in aid of five core themes: casualties, veterans, serving soldiers, horses and heritage. The Household Cavalry has two museums. The Household Cavalry Museum

180-550: Is a cavalry regiment of the British Army tasked primarily with ceremonial duties. Part of the Household Division , it is classed as a regiment of guards, and carries out mounted (and some dismounted) ceremonial duties on State and Royal occasions. The HCMR is one of two operational units that form the Household Cavalry (HCav), the other being the Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR), a formation reconnaissance regiment , with front-line combat duties. In 1945, following

216-586: Is horsed and carries out mounted (and some dismounted) ceremonial duties on State and Royal occasions. These include the provision of a Sovereign 's Escort, most commonly seen on The King's Birthday Parade ( Trooping the Colour ) in June each year. Other occasions include state visits by visiting heads of state, royal weddings, coronations, or whenever required by the British monarch , including ceremonies associated with

252-870: Is known as a "long guard." When the King is not resident in London, the Guard is reduced to two non-commissioned officers and ten troopers. This is known as a "short guard." Responsibility for mounting the guard alternates between The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals. Every summer, the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery takes over the role, while the HCMR conducts important regimental training outside of London. Second Lieutenants in The Blues and Royals are known as Cornets . The rank names and insignia of non-commissioned officers in

288-658: Is located at Horse Guards Parade in central London, where the HCMR mounts the King's Life Guard. The museum is a very popular tourist attraction with digital audio guides in several languages. The museum includes a window into the working stables of the King's Life Guard, allowing visitors to watch ongoing care of the horses throughout the day. Separately, the Household Cavalry Regiment has its own museum at Combermere Barracks in Windsor. A volunteer team organise tours and events and, in particular, administer

324-596: Is often accompanied by the drum horses and mounted State Trumpeters of The Mounted Band of The Household Cavalry. During the display it is usually recorded music of that band. The Musical Ride demonstrates the skills that were required by cavalry in times of war. The display was a firm favourite at the Royal Tournament where it was first performed in 1882, the Musical Ride was performed at the last Royal Tournament in 1999. Since 2010, it has also performed at

360-407: Is on horseback from 10 am until 4 pm, with the two sentries changing every hour. From 4 pm until 8 pm a pair of dismounted sentries remain. At 8 pm, the gates of Horse Guards are locked, and a single sentry remains until 7 am. When the King is in London, the Guard consists of one officer, one corporal major (who carries the standard), two non-commissioned officers, one trumpeter and ten troopers. This

396-828: The Canadian Grenadier Guards . The term household guard is used by the Canadian Armed Forces to describe a type of quarter guard that is mounted for dignitaries including the Canadian royal family , the governor general of Canada and other heads of state. The phrase household division or household regiment is not used in other Commonwealth countries, although some maintain units that perform similar ceremonial functions, like Australia's Federation Guard and Malaysia's Royal Malay Regiment . Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment ( HCMR )

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432-732: The Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II . The regiment also mounts the King's Life Guard at Horse Guards . HCMR consists of one squadron from The Life Guards, one from The Blues and Royals and a squadron called Headquarters Squadron, which is responsible for all administrative matters and includes the regimental headquarters (RHQ), the Riding Staff, Farriers, Tailors and Saddlers. The Regiment has been based (in various forms) at Hyde Park Barracks , Knightsbridge , since 1795. New troopers and officers are generally first assigned to London upon completion of horsemanship training, referred to, alongside

468-674: The United Kingdom , the Household Division consists of seven regiments, giving rise to the division's motto of Septem juncta in uno ( Latin for 'seven joined in one'). The Household Division is made up of the Household Cavalry , which includes The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals , as well as five regiments of foot guards – the Grenadier Guards , Coldstream Guards , Scots Guards , Irish Guards and Welsh Guards . The Household Division also includes

504-579: The British Army's order of battle. The HCR has four operational squadrons, three of which are traditional medium reconnaissance squadrons equipped with the Warrior and Ajax armoured fighting vehicles, and the fourth is referred to as Command and Support Squadron and includes specialists, such as Forward Air Controllers . One of HCR's squadrons has been assigned to the airborne role, supporting 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team , since 2003. The regiment

540-576: The Colour ) in June each year. The escort is also seen at other occasions, including during state visits by visiting heads of state, or whenever required by the British monarch. The regiment provides a staircase party inside Buckingham Palace at state Investitures , and inside the Palace of Westminster at the annual State Opening of Parliament . They are also present at the annual Garter Ceremony at Windsor Castle . Perhaps most famously, in recent years,

576-611: The Household Cavalry are unique in the British Army: Recruits were required to have a very high moral character. Before the Second World War , recruits were required to be at least 5 feet 10 inches tall, but could not exceed 6 feet 1 inch. They initially enlisted for eight years with the colours and a further four years with the reserve. There is a farrier on call twenty-four hours

612-691: The Household Cavalry is divided into regiments ( battalion -sized units) and squadrons ( company -sized sub-units). The whole corps is under the command of the Commander Household Cavalry (formerly Colonel Commanding The Household Cavalry), who also holds the Royal Household appointment of Silver Stick in Waiting. He is a Colonel and is assisted by a retired lieutenant colonel as Regimental Adjutant . The Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR) has an active operational role as

648-553: The Household Cavalry to be available to respond speedily to any emergency at the Palace and also to conduct their ceremonial duties. The Household Cavalry Coach Troop is a unit of the Mounted Regiment based at Combermere Barracks in Windsor. It consists of 6 carriages with 6 horses, a head coachman , a second coachman and 3 grooms . The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment carries out regular ceremonial duties throughout

684-1055: The Household Division maintained ten separate guard mountings for 89 sentry posts. These include the Armoury Guard, the British Museum Guard, the Kensington Palace Guard, the King's Guard , the Magazine Guard, the Military Asylum Guard, the Savoy Prison Guard, the Tylt Guards, and the York Hospital Guard. In addition, the Household Division also provided night guards for the Bank of England , Covent Garden Opera House , and Drury Lane . However,

720-574: The Household Division's commitment to most of these postings, besides the King's Guard, ceased at the end of the 19th century. From 1950 to 1968, the Household Division was known as the Household Brigade . Several Canadian units are known as household regiments or household troops , given their relationship with the Canadian monarchy . This includes the Governor General's Horse Guards , Governor General's Foot Guards , and

756-404: The Household Division. The Household Cavalry is classed as a corps in its own right, and consists of two regiments : The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) . They are the senior regular regiments in the British Army, with traditions dating from 1660, and act as the King's personal bodyguard. They are the cavalry element of the guards regiments and, with

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792-746: The ceremonial mounted unit, the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment , garrisoned at Hyde Park Barracks in London . Both the HCMR and HCR are made up of elements of the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals. The Household Cavalry is part of the Household Division and is the King's official bodyguard. Although the Household Cavalry Regiment is armoured, it is not part of the Royal Armoured Corps , being assigned to

828-593: The end of the Second World War , the 1st and 2nd Household Cavalry Regiments were reformed as The Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards respectively. Along with these changes, each regiment provided one mounted squadron each for ceremonial duties in London . These two squadrons were grouped as the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment . By 1991, this regiment was based at Knightsbridge Barracks (also known as Hyde Park Barracks [built between 1967 and 1970]), in Central London . The regiment continues to be based at

864-534: The farriers of The Life Guards—blue tunic, black plume and axe—is a historic reminder of the old British Army of the days of James Wolfe . Every cavalry regiment in the Army, other than the Royal Horse Guards (The Blues), originally wore scarlet for all ranks, except the farriers. Farriers were garbed invariably in sombre blue and bore axes, worn at the side, like the swords of their comrades. When on parade,

900-435: The five foot guard regiments, constitute the seven guards regiments of the Household Division . Colonel Lieutenant General Sir Edward Smyth-Osbourne General The Princess Royal Below is the structure of the regiment: The Household Cavalry as a whole is split into two different units that fulfil very distinct roles. These are both joint units, consisting of personnel from both regiments. Like other Cavalry formations,

936-504: The following incremental companies : Nijmegen Company – Grenadier Guards, No 7 Company – Coldstream Guards, F Company – Scots Guards, Numbers 9 and 12 Company – Irish Guards. The Household Division is commanded by the Major-General commanding the Household Division who is also General Officer Commanding London District . The Household Division was once responsible for mounting the guard to several institutions in London. In 1819,

972-499: The location. It consists of one sabre squadron from each regiment of the Household Cavalry ( The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals ) plus a Headquarters Squadron, and the Household Cavalry Training Wing. This has been based (in various forms) at Hyde Park Barracks , Knightsbridge , since 1795. This is three-quarters of a mile from Buckingham Palace , close enough for the officers and men of

1008-588: The men and women of the Household Cavalry have provided an escort for both the late Queen of the United Kingdom, Elizabeth II, Both in London and to her final resting place at her home of Windsor Castle in September 2022. Then the subsequent coronation of HM King Charles III in May 2023. The Household Cavalry Musical Ride has been performed at agricultural shows, military tattoos since the 1880s. The display

1044-540: The regiment's extensive material, documentary and photographic archives. The museum is open to public groups, by appointment. These have included: In the center of the village Zandvoorde, Zonnebeke in Belgium, there is a British war memorial, The Household Cavalry Monument , commemorating the role of the Household Cavalry in the battles of the First World War in this area. Household Division In

1080-415: The rest of HCMR personnel, as Mounted Dutymen, and remain there for up to three years. Like the five Foot Guards regiments they rotate between the operational and ceremonial roles. The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment provides the King's Life Guard , the mounted guard at the entrance to Horse Guards . Horse Guards is the official main entrance to both St James's Palace and Buckingham Palace . The guard

1116-539: The troopers drew swords, the Farriers drew axes and carried them at the "Advance". Following every parade is a duty horse-box, known as the Veterinary Aid Post, with a specialist emergency team in attendance. The Mounted Band of the Household Cavalry was a merger in 2014 of the 35 piece Band of The Blues and Royals and the 35 piece Band of The Life Guards. They are now one band of 64 musicians but wear

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1152-613: The troops. The troops weave around the trumpeters and the celebrated drumhorse, Spartacus. In the British Army Order of Precedence , the Household Cavalry is always listed first and always parades at the extreme right of the line, save in cases that the guns of the Royal Horse Artillery are to be first in line during parades. In April 2024, after being spooked by falling concrete during their daily morning exercise, five horses unseated their riders and went on

1188-614: The uniform of both The Blues and Royals and The Life Guards. They come under RCAM, the Royal Corps of Army Music . They also provide State Trumpeters for events of state. The Musical Ride of the Mounted Regiments of the Household Cavalry was first performed at the Royal Tournament in 1882. The two trumpeters sitting on grey horses were historically intended to form a contrast with the darker horses, so that they could be seen on battlefields when relaying officers' commands to

1224-480: The year. As the Sovereign's bodyguard and part of the Household Division , the HCMR mounts a daily guard (called King's Life Guard ) at Horse Guards , which is the historical and ceremonial entrance to Buckingham Palace. This ceremony can be viewed daily by members of the public. The HCMR is responsible for the provision of the Sovereign's Escort, most commonly seen at the monarch's annual Birthday Parade ( Trooping

1260-471: Was formerly based at Combermere Barracks , Windsor, one mile from Windsor Castle , until its move to Bulford Camp , Wiltshire, in May 2019. The members of the Household Division have sometimes been required to undertake special tasks as the Sovereign's personal troops. The Household Cavalry were called to Windsor Castle on 20 November 1992 to assist with salvage operations following the 1992 Windsor Castle fire . The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR)

1296-422: Was marked with its regimental number. This assisted in keeping track of animals killed in action. Although the axes are not used any more, army farriers still carry these axes, with their characteristic highly polished blade and spike, at ceremonial events such as Trooping the Colour . In The Blues and Royals, the farriers dress like their comrades in regimental uniform. The distinctive uniform and equipment of

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