## 2i. Royal palace guard

They are among the best known icons of Britain, and if you've ever been to London, you've probably seen them. They are the soldiers in bright red jackets or shining helmets, who stand outside Buckingham Palace, or in Whitehall. They are men who can stand absolutely still, even when tourists tell them jokes, touch them, push them, or try to make them move.

The men who stand guard outside Buckingham Palace and certain other royal palaces are in fact some of the best-trained soldiers in the British army. They belong to a number of historic regiments, such as the Grenadier Guards or the Scots Guards.

There are two main groups of guards, those who have horses and those who do not. The former are known as the "foot guards", and the latter as the "Household Cavalry".

The footguards are the senior infantry regiments in the British army; most of the time, they train like other soldiers, a long way from London. Sometimes they may find themselves in war zones. In recent years they have also been sent to Bosnia and to Kosovo, to Iraq and Afghanistan in order to help with the international peace-keeping forces.

The Household Cavalry is taken from two armoured regiments, called the Lifeguards, and the Blues and Royals. Three hundred men from these regiments are based in London for ceremonial duties on horseback; but most of the time, the men from these regiments are based elsewhere. When they are not taking part in ceremonial duties in London, they will be training in other parts of Britain, or serving in other parts of the world.

And of course, under the uniforms, there are just ordinary young men, mostly in their twenties. They are very fit young men, but apart from that they are just like other young men of their age. Don't expect to find a robo-guard! These men are some of the best-trained soldiers in the world.