The Royal Guards ( sv, Högvakten) is the Monarchy of Sweden, King of Sweden's cavalry and infantry guard of honour, guards of honour of the Swedish Armed Forces, tasked with the protection of the Swedish Royal Family. The Royal Guard is normally divided in two parts, the main guard stationed at the Stockholm Palace, and a smaller detachment at Drottningholm Palace. The Royal Guards units has continuously guarded the Swedish royal family in Stockholm since 1523.
The duty of forming a "Royal Guard" is rotated by all serving regular and reserve armed forces, including the Swedish Home Guard, Home Guard. However, these detachments only serve for about 5–7 days in each rotation, so most of the year the duty is carried out by the Life Guards (Sweden), Life Guards regiment of Stockholm, consisting of four battalions, one light infantry, two security, and one guard battalion. Tracing its history through the Svea Life Guards, Household Brigade and Svea Life Guards and Life Guard Dragoons back to the original Royal Guards, this is what constitutes the regiment's claims to being one of the List of oldest military units and formations in continuous operation, oldest military units and formations in continuous operation.
Between April and August, the mounted squadron (army), squadrons in light blue full dress uniforms and silver pickelhaube helmets and the Company (military unit), companies in dark blue full dress uniforms with black pickelhaube helmets, both of the Life Guards, can be seen in Stockholm street parades and around the Royal Palace. Accompanied by the mounted Marching band, band, they depart from the K1 Cavalry barracks in Gärdet, and arrive at the Palace around noon (1 p.m. on Sundays and public holidays) for the changing of the guards ceremony. These events attracts large numbers of tourists each summer.
In the regular guard mounts, the regular royal guard contingent is composed of the personnel from the King's Guards Battalion, Life Guards.
Gallery
File:Arrivée de la garde au palais royal 1897.webm, Arrival of the Royal Guards in 1897
File:20130525 Stockholm Royal Guard 4131.jpg, Royal Mounted Guards (2013)
File:Stockholm - KMB - 16001000541491.jpg, Royal Mounted Guards (2016)
File:Stockholm palace guards.jpg, Relieved guard after the changing of the guards ceremony at the Royal Palace. The clear blue uniform is used solely by the soldiers of the Cavalry Battalion
File:A guard mounting ceremony at the royal palace in Stockholm.webm, A guard mounting ceremony at the Royal Palace of non-Life Guards units
File:Royal guards sweden.jpg, Mounted Royal Guards in front of the palace
File:US Navy 100430-N-9917S-005 Capt. Tim Mahan, commanding officer of the guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg (CG 69), inspects the Royal Palace guards in Stockholm, Sweden.jpg, Captain Tim Mahan, commanding officer of the guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg (CG-69), inspects the Royal Palace guards (2010)
Sources
Military units and formations of Sweden
Royal guards
Swedish monarchy
Swedish ceremonial units
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