When The Queen is in residence, there are four
Her Majesty's Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms provides a bodyguard to The Queen at many ceremonial occasions.
Formed in 1983, it is thought that there are up to 185 SAS-trained officers (the exact number isn't revealed for security reasons). Only the most high-profile royals have around-the-clock protection including King Charles, Prince William, and the Cambridge family.
According to the annual Sovereign Grant Report for 2021/22, there were 491 full-time staff working at the occupied royal palaces, which include Buckingham Palace, Balmoral and Windsor Castle.
The pallbearers hail from the Queen's Company, the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards. 'It's their role to protect her body, both in life and in death, remaining in the Queen's Company until King Charles decides otherwise,' explained Major Adrian Weale to the PA.
6. No Toilet Break for the Dedicated Soldiers. The Queen's guards are so dedicated to their position that they can't even leave their post for a toilet break during their working shift. They must all have pretty strong bladders!
Never touch a guard
As London aficionados know by now, one should never touch a member of the Queen's Guard. If this is the case, they are actually allowed to shout warnings at you to make you go away. If people start acting aggressively, the soldiers can even present their bayonets to them.
And as to putting one's clothes on, contrary to popular belief the Queen actually dressed alone. The monarch also did her own make-up for most events, with the exception of her annual Christmas speech, for which a make-up artist was employed.
Average The Royal Household hourly pay ranges from approximately £9.09 per hour for Housekeeper to £11.66 per hour for Warehouse Lead. Salary information comes from 293 data points collected directly from employees, users, and past and present job advertisements on Indeed in the past 36 months.
Ladies-in-waiting performed intimate duties such as putting on and removing the queen's clothing and bathing her. They were expected to put her needs above those of their own husbands and children. They spent most of the day with the queen and provided her with companionship and entertainment in her private chambers.
Those guns aren't loaded…
The Guard's intimidating weapons only have ammo in them when they are aware of a potential serious security threat. The guard on Reddit, who uses the username “nibs123,” says that he has never carried a loaded gun as a Guardsman.
For CPOs employed full-time, they can expect to be paid between £50,000 – £100,000 per year. Again, many variables will affect remuneration. To put that into perspective, Royalty Protection Officers in the Metropolitan police guarding the British royal family get paid a little over £100k per year.
Kate Middleton's bodyguard, Sergeant Emma Probert, has been honoured by Prince William in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. The royal protection officer has guarded the Princess of Wales since she got engaged to William in 2010.
THERE ARE WOMEN IN THE RANKS Although the iconic troops are usually associated with male figures, there are more and more women joining the Queen's Guard.
The guards do not just perform ceremonial duties at Buckingham Palace, they also take an active role in protecting their Sovereign. At night they patrol the grounds of both Buckingham Palace and St. James's Palace.
Personalised exemptions for the Queen in her private capacity have been written into more than 160 laws since 1967, granting her sweeping immunity from swathes of British law – ranging from animal welfare to workers' rights.
The Queen receives a yearly sum through what is known as the Sovereign Grant , which is equivalent to £1.29 per person in the UK. In Aussie dollars, that's around $2.23 per person, which last financial year amounted to a whopping $148 million.
Like other ladies-in-waiting, she was not paid for the role and continued to serve the Queen until she died out of personal loyalty. When the late Queen was still travelling the globe in her role as Head of State, Lady Susan was by her side.
The Royal Family has opened its books to show how the Queen receives her money. A taxpayer-funded payment, known as the Sovereign Grant, is paid to the Royal Family each year - but it's not the Queen's only source of income.
Clothing that was of less historical significance is likely set to be given to family members — and her granddaughters and great-granddaughters could be in for a windfall. “Items from the Queen's personal collection would have been passed to her family members with each chosen personally by Her Majesty.
The “lion's share” of Queen's extensive jewelry collection, according to The Daily Express, will be given to Kate, the new Princess of Wales, but, according to the outlet, Camilla will get first dibs. “The late monarch owned an extraordinary collection of jewelry worth billions of pounds,” The Express reports.
What Happens With Queen Elizabeth's Clothes? Queen Elizabeth never wears the same outfit twice at important events. Therefore, the sovereign prefers to either change her outfits and if she gets bored of them, she sends them to her dressers, who are then allowed to either wear them themselves or sell them.
Those big hats or 'Bearskins' are actually made of sponge and by means of a discreet pipe and pump arrangement are able to absorb over a gallon of urine. The 'furry' outer layer then evaporates the urine and this can go on for several days until a standard British rainstorm washes them off.
Guards are actively serving the Queen and must follow strict rules such as no laughing. Though some rumours suggest guards are fined if they are caught laughing while on duty, they do not have to cough up a hefty fine, according to reports online.
They might be famous for standing guard outside Buckingham Palace in their red tunics, but British Army Guards are also fully trained combat soldiers who deploy on operations abroad. Join them and you'll take part in everything from peacekeeping and disaster relief to armed conflict.