The Royal Guard Company () is part of

Royal Life Guards The Life Guards (LG) is the most senior regiment of the British Army and part of the Household Cavalry, along with Blues and Royals, The Blues and Royals. History The Life Guards grew from the four troops of Horse Guards Regiment, Horse Guar ...

which serves as an active protection force for the

Danish royal family The Danish royal family is the dynastic family of the monarch of Denmark. While some members of the Danish royal family hold the title of ''Prince(ss) of Denmark'', descendants of Margrethe II additionally bear the title '' Count(ess) of Monpe ...

. Of the 300 in the company, 280 are

conscripts Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it conti ...

Organisation

There are 4 Guard teams of approximately 80 conscripts and 8 sergeants. The teams are arranged by height, with the tallest conscripts serving in 1st team and the shortest in 4th team.

Guard duties

The Royal Life Guards provide a permanent guard at the

Amalienborg Palace Amalienborg () is the official residence for the Danish royal family and is located in Copenhagen. Frederick VIII's palace complex has four identical Classical façades, effectively four palaces, with Rococo interiors, laid around an octagona ...

, Kastellet (part of the old fortification of Copenhagen),

Rosenborg Castle Rosenborg Castle () is a renaissance castle in Copenhagen, Denmark. The castle was originally built as a country summerhouse in 1606 and is an example of Christian IV's many architectural projects. It was built in the Dutch Renaissance style, t ...

/garrison of the Royal Life Guards in Copenhagen and the garrison of Høvelte. On occasions guard is kept at

Fredensborg Palace Fredensborg Palace (; ) is a palace located on the eastern shore of Lake Esrum ( Danish, ''Esrum Sø'') in Fredensborg on the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in Denmark. It is the Danish royal family’s spring and autumn residence, and is o ...

Marselisborg Palace Marselisborg Palace (, ) is a royal residence of the Danish royal family in Aarhus. It has been the summer residence of Queen Margrethe II since 1967. There is a Palace Park in connection to the palace itself and outside the grounds, stretching ...

Gråsten Palace Gråsten Palace () is located at Gråsten in the Jutland region of southern Denmark. It is best known for being the summer residence of the Danish royal family. The main house has a modern, all-white facade, with Venetian doors opening onto swe ...

Christiansborg Palace Christiansborg Palace (, ) is a palace and government building on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the seat of the Danish Parliament (), the Danish Prime Minister's Office, and the Supreme Court of Denmark. Also ...

and other locations inside the

Danish Realm The Danish Realm, officially the Kingdom of Denmark, or simply Denmark, is a sovereign state consisting of a collection of constituent territories united by the Constitution of Denmark, Constitutional Act, which applies to the entire territor ...

Drum Corps

One part of the Guard Company is the

Fife and drum corps A fife and drum corps is a musical ensemble consisting of 2 Fife (instrument), fifes, a snare drum and a bass drum. In the United States of America, fife and drum corps specializing in colonial period impressions using 2 fifes, a snare drum and ...

(), which consists of 8 drums and 8 fifes. It originally consisted of conscripts, however, after the Defence agreement 2005–09 which changed the conscription time for Life Guards from 12 to 8 months, there was not enough time to train the conscripts. The corps is therefore mostly enlisted.

Traditions

Uniform

The review order uniform of the Royal Life Guards, worn while they are on guard duty, consists of

bearskin A bearskin is a tall fur cap derived from mitre#Military uniform, mitre caps worn by grenadier units in the 17th and 18th centuries. Initially worn by only grenadiers, bearskins were later used by several other military units in the 19th centur ...

headdresses, dark blue

tunic A tunic is a garment for the torso, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the ankles. It might have arm-sleeves, either short or full-length. Most forms have no fastenings. The name deri ...

s and light blue trousers with white stripes. The ceremonial uniform, worn on special state occasions, substitutes a scarlet tunic for the dark blue. The bearskin dates from 1803 and is decorated with the regiment's bronze

cap badge A cap badge, also known as head badge or hat badge, is a badge worn on uniform headgear and distinguishes the wearer's nationality and/or organisation. The wearing of cap badges is a convention commonly found among military and police forces, as ...

(the Sun and Royal Coat of Arms). Symbolic infantry sabers are carried by the rank and file. These were part of the spoils from the

First Schleswig War The First Schleswig War (), also known as the Schleswig-Holstein uprising () and the Three Years' War (), was a military conflict in southern Denmark and northern Germany rooted in the Schleswig–Holstein question: who should control the Du ...

of 1848–1851 and were originally derived from a French infantry weapon.

King's Watch

The regiment holds a traditional

military parade A military parade is a formation of military personnels whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as Drill team, drilling or marching. Large military parades are today held on major holidays and military events around the ...

every November at their barracks known as the "King's Parade". Following the parade, the sovereign hands over the “King’s Watch” to one guard for his/her exceptional service in the regiment. It has been a tradition since 1970, when

Frederik IX Frederik IX (Christian Frederik Franz Michael Carl Valdemar Georg; 11 March 1899 – 14 January 1972) was King of Denmark from 1947 to 1972. Frederik was born into the House of Glücksburg during the reign of his great-grandfather King Ch ...

first handed over a

watch A watch is a timepiece carried or worn by a person. It is designed to maintain a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is worn around the wrist, attached by a watch strap or another type of ...

at a parade. The "King’s Watch” was known as the "Queen’s Watch” from 1972-2024 during the reign of

Margrethe II Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is a member of the Danish royal family who reigned as Queen of Denmark from 14 January 1972 until her abdication on 14 January 2024. Having reigned for exactly ...

and became known once again as the King's Watch after the accession of

Frederik X Frederik X (Frederik André Henrik Christian, ; born 26 May 1968) is King of Denmark. He acceded to the throne following Abdication of Margrethe II, his mother's abdication in 2024. Frederik is the eldest son of Margrethe II and Prince Henri ...

in 2024. The guard is appointed by their superiors and fellow soldiers.

Image gallery

Valentin Serov - Alexander III in Danish Royal Life Guards Uniform.jpg, Alexander III in Danish Royal Life Guards Uniform, 1899 Royalguards copenhagen pazdziora cropped.JPG, Royal Guards on

Queen Margrethe II Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is a member of the Danish royal family who reigned as Queen of Denmark from 14 January 1972 until her abdication on 14 January 2024. Having reigned for exactly 5 ...

's Birthday, 16 April 2009. Royal Danish Life Guard (2017) 02.jpg, Royal Guard at the

, Copenhagen. Danish Royal Guard Present Arms.jpg, Danish Royal Guards presenting arms at the Changing of the Guard ceremony, Amalienborg.

References

External links

Official website
{{Military of Denmark Royal guards Military units and formations established in 1659 Guards of honour Monarchy of Denmark