Her Majesty's Bodyguard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms is a bodyguard to the British Monarch. It was formed in 1509 by King Henry VIII to act as a mounted escort (the Troop of Gentlemen), armed with spear and lance to protect the sovereign in battle or around the country. In 1526, they became a dismounted bodyguard armed with battleaxe. They last saw service in battle during the English Civil War (During the Civil Wars a Gentleman Matthews saved the Prince of Wales at Edgehill (1642) from one of the Earl of Essex's troopers). They were always intended as a primarily ceremonial unit, but were on regular duty until the nineteenth century. Today, the duties are purely ceremonial - the Gentlemen attend the Sovereign at various ceremonies including state visits by Heads of State, the State Opening of Parliament and the ceremonies of the various orders of chivalry, including the Order of the Garter. The Corps today consists of five Officers (the Captain, the Lieutenant, the Standard Bearer, the Clerk of the Cheque and the Harbinger) and 27 Gentlemen. The senior Officer is the Captain, a political appointment who is now always the Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords. Image File history File links Her Majestys Bodyguard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Queens bodyguard Sovereigns Bodyguard is the name given to three ceremonial units in the United Kingdom who are tasked with guarding the Sovereign. ... The British monarch or Sovereign is the monarch and head of state of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, and is the source of all executive, judicial and (as the Queen-in-Parliament) legislative power. ... Events February 2 - Battle of Diu took place near Diu, India. ... Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ... Hunting spear and knife, from Mesa Verde National Park. ... The term lance has become a catchall for a variety of different pole weapons based on the spear. ... Events January 14 - Treaty of Madrid. ... For other uses, see Axe (disambiguation). ... The term English Civil War (or Wars) refers to the series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651. ... The Badge of the Prince of Wales is derived from the ostrich feathers borne by Edward, the Black Prince. ... The Battle of Edgehill (or Edge Hill) was the first major engagement of the First English Civil War. ... Earl of Essex is a title that has been held by several families and individuals, of which the best-known and most closely associated with the title was Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (1566 - 1601). ... Sergeant-at-arms Gus Cloutier holding the ceremonial mace to open a sitting of the 38th Canadian parliament with Prime Minister Paul Martin in background (10/4/04) In the United Kingdom, the State Opening of Parliament is an annual event held usually in October or November that marks the... A garter is one of the Orders most recognisable insignia. ... The Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen_at_Arms is a UK government post usually held by the Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords. ... The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ...

The uniform is that of a Heavy Dragoon Guards officer of the 1840s. It has a skirted red coat with Garter blue velvet cuffs and facings embroidered with the Tudor royal badge of the portcullis. Helmets with white swan feather plumes are worn when on duty, even in church. Officers wear, in addition, gold aiguillettes, and carry sticks of office - gold for the Captain, silver for the Lieutenant and other officers except the Harbinger, who has ivory - which they receive from the Sovereign on appointment. Cavalry swords are worn, and long ceremonial battle-axes, over 300 years old, are carried by all the Gentlemen. A light dragoon from the American Revolution A dragoon is a soldier trained to fight on foot, but transport himself on horseback. ... A garter is one of the Orders most recognisable insignia. ... The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor (Welsh Tudur) is a series of five monarchs of Welsh origin who ruled England from 1485 until 1603. ... A portcullis in Edinburgh Castle A portcullis is a grille or gate made of wood, metal or a combination of the two. ...

The Gentlemen, who retain their prior military ranks (and currently are mostly major to colonel), now parade for the State Opening of Parliament, state visits, Garden parties, the Garter service, Diplomatic Corps Receptions, Irregular attendances are for royal weddings, coronations, the investiture of the Prince of Wales, and lying in state. They also have three mess dinners annually. All subordinate officers, and all Gentlemen, join at under the age of 55 years, and are usually 52. They must retire at 70 years, thus giving an average age of approximately 61 years. All Officers (except the Captain) must have served in the corps prior to promotion to officer rank. The senior permanent officer is the Lieutenant. The other officers are the Standard-Bearer, Clerk of the Cheque and Adjutant (who issues all orders to the corps), and the Harbinger (who runs the Mess, and assists the Clerk). The Mess is run by a permanent Axekeeper and Butler, at St James's Palace. Although all Gentlemen are retired officers, one recent member was a clergyman. Colonel the Rev'd "Dick" Whittington, MBE, joined the Corps in 1999 after retiring from the Royal Engineers. He was ordained a deacon in 1993 and a priest in 1994. Insignia of an 0-4 in the U.S. Armed Forces In the US Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and the British Army, a major is a commissioned officer superior to a captain and inferior to a lieutenant colonel. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Colonel Colonel is a military rank, usually the highest below general grades, and just above Lieutenant Colonel. ... Sergeant-at-arms Gus Cloutier holding the ceremonial mace to open a sitting of the 38th Canadian parliament with Prime Minister Paul Martin in background (10/4/04) In the United Kingdom, the State Opening of Parliament is an annual event held usually in October or November that marks the... State visits usually involve a military review. ... The Order of the Garter once held frequent services at St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle, but they became rare in the eighteenth century. ... A formal state (and normally religious) ceremony at which a person is announced and installed as King or Queen. ... Lying-in-state is the term used during a major funeral procession when the coffin is placed on public view to allow members of the public to pay their respects to the deceased. ... Main entrance of St Jamess Palace, London St Jamess Palace is one of Londons oldest and most historic palaces. ... see also Holy Orders The following terms have traditional meanings for the Anglican Church, and possibly beyond: A churchman is in principle a member of a church congregation, in practice someone in holy orders. ... MBE can stand for: Member of the Order of the British Empire Mail Boxes Etc. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The Corps of Royal Engineers (RE), commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army. ... This article is about the sacrament. ... Deacon is a role in the Christian Church which is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Roman Catholic priest LCDR Allen R. Kuss (USN) aboard USS Enterprise A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...

• Battle Honours
  • 1513: Battle of the Spurs, 1520: Field of Cloth of Gold, 1544: Seige of Bologne

• The Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms