Visitors to London are often delighted to
see the iconic Queens Guard standing motionless in their red coats in front of Buckingham
Palace. While these guards are famous for not moving
an inch even when tourists decide to mess with them, don’t let that fool you into
thinking they’re just lazy or slow. In fact, the queen's guards are actually one
of the most elite, highly trained and secretive soldiers in the entire world. Sure they look like fixtures to the palace,
but push them too far or try to interfere with their duty and you’ll learn very quickly
why that was a mistake. The elusive practices and duties of these
elite, bearskin-clad guards are some of the most tightly kept secrets the English crown
holds, but luckily for you we’ve got the inside scoop on these subtle warriors that
will change the way you look at the seeming tourist attractions for the rest of your life. Think you can handle knowing the secrets of
such an elite group? Lets get it on! THE ROYAL BODYGUARDS.
The Royal Guard are an ancient order of England’s
most trustworthy, dedicated and highly-trained soldiers sworn to protect the British Monarch
at all costs. Serving as the longest reigning monarch in
England’s history with a reign of over 62 years, Elizabeth the 2nd has been the aim
of all the guard’s efforts since 1952, seeing more than 10 generations of active duty guardsmen. The Royal Guards’ history goes back to at
least 1660, and unlike today when the Royal Family don’t hold true power, back then
the British monarch was the most powerful person in England, and one of the most powerful
in the world, holding absolute power, which of course came with a need for absolute security. During times of war and revolt the Royal Guard
were seen as the most fearsome warriors around, making attacks on the king or queen both unlikely
and ridiculously risky for any would be assassins.
The guards didn’t just stand at attention
throughout history either. In fact, some of England’s greatest military
victories can be attributed directly to the royal guard, with them having personally taken
out the most powerful armies in European history. Now don’t think that just because they’ve
moved from the battlefield to Buckingham that these soldiers have gone soft. Standards for the Queen’s Guard have only
become stricter with time, and to this day only the highest performing officers and military
personnel are even considered for the prestigious position. WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A QUEEN'S GUARD. In order to qualify for the queen’s guard,
potential recruits must meet a number of taxing physical, mental and experiential conditions. For example, a queen’s guardsman can be
no shorter than 5 foot 10, and that was a change made only recently. Previously, much like tinder profiles, any
applicant under 6 feet 2 inches would get a left swipe! As a result of their huge stature, the guards
have gained the nickname “The Models” throughout their history. On top of that, guardsmen need to be decorated
members of one of the 7 most exclusive regiments of the British army which are recommended
only, meaning you have to be picked, you cannot volunteer, to join the Royal Guard.
SMILING CAN GET THEM ARRESTED. Anyone who’s heard of the Royal Guard is
familiar with the fact that they stand absolutely still, almost like statues, regardless of
what’s going on around them. This can be fun for tourists trying to get
their attention for a vacation video, but the level of restraint the guards must maintain
is basically superhuman! No matter what passersby and hecklers do or
say to them, the guards cannot react or respond in any way, unless they’re physically touched
or otherwise violently threatened, in which case they leave crowds shocked with their
booming cries of [] the only phrase they’re allowed to say on duty. The sacred oath that guardsmen take is insanely
restrictive and comes with some serious consequences if broken. If a guard so much as smiles, let alone laughs
while on duty they won’t just get fired, they’ll get sent to a military prison! That’s right, every tourist who tries to
make a guard laugh, which numbers in the millions every year based on tourism statistics, is
unwittingly risking sentencing that guardsman to prison time! No wonder they take their post so seriously! But if anyone gets a guard to laugh, they
should probably take up a career as a comedian.
NEVER MESS WITH A GUARD. Knowing that these guys aren’t just standing
around for show, but rather the most decorated and battle hardened soldiers the United Kingdom
has to offer, and the fact that so little a transgression as laughing will land them
in a prison cell, it should be pretty obvious that messing with a Royal Guard is a one-way
ticket to an emergency room. This is because even though the guards are
to remain motionless and smile-free for the duration of their posts, one wouldn’t be
much of a guard if they just let themselves get assaulted willy-nilly. Sure they’re used to hoards of the most
tourists any city has to offer, constantly taking pictures of the Royal Guards and trying
to elicit their elusive illegal smiles, but every once in a while someone will go too
far and think they can get away with touching them. Being trained soldiers, you should never even
consider this, as some unfortunate tourists have found out, it's a guard’s duty to take
down anyone who touches them with explosive force. While this may be an exciting experience to
watch, after all you won’t witness the guards moving otherwise, being on the receiving end
of a Royal Guardsman’s attack is a surefire way to end up in hospital.
Thankfully England’s got socialized healthcare,
so it won’t cost you any money, but trust me, that’ll be the least of your concerns
if you’re dumb enough to lay a finger on a Royal Guard. A GUARD NEVER ABANDONS HIS POST. The Royal Guard is probably the most serious
job in England, maybe even on Earth. As a result there’s no room for error among
the guards, which means that a guard never abandons his post under any circumstance. And yes, that does include breaks for the
bathroom. If a guard needs to use the restroom, no matter
how badly, they will simply hold it for the entirety of their shift.
Luckily a guard’s shift typically lasts
2 hours of standing and 4 hours of patrol and other duties, so they aren’t exactly
breaking world records for holding it. Regardless, any breach of duty, whether it
be a bathroom break, a laugh, or even taking a step away from your post, is grounds for
imprisonment, so if you mess with a guard enough that you get them to move, be ready
for the absolute worst fury an elite soldier can dish out, as they’re definitely going
to jail just for moving, so they’ll be doing a whole lot more to whomever cost them their
freedom! But if you think those are the most grueling
restrictions, just wait until you hear what I have to say at the end of this video.
THE STRONGEST NECKS IN BRITAIN. The Royal Guard’s distinctive uniforms aren’t
just for show. Their uniforms go back through their centuries
old history and represent the royal colors of England. And while London can get incredibly cold,
it’s also a city famous for near constant rain, a factor that Royal Guards laugh off
with ease. While their coats can weigh up to 8 pounds,
rain sometimes accumulates on them and can more than double their weight! But the coats aren’t even half of it! The most striking part of the Royal Guard’s
uniform is of course their giant black hats! Called bearskins, and yes, they’re made
of actual bearskin, these massive pieces of headgear weigh between 5 and 13 pounds, which
is more than the weight of an average, non-bearskin covered human head, meaning since they’re
used to easily holding up more than double the weight everyone else is supporting, these
guards have some of the strongest necks on the planet! Now you might think wearing such heavy uniforms
could lead to some uncomfortable circumstances, which leads us into what’s probably the
craziest part of being a Royal guard.
And once you hear this, you’re guaranteed
to never even think about messing with these absolute beasts! FAINTING TO ATTENTION. I want to be clear, what you just heard is
not a trick. Members of the Royal Guard are so tough that
they won’t even move when they faint! And this isn’t some rare occurrence, according
to a guardsman himself, multiple guards faint every year. In the summer months the heat in England is
nothing to scoff at, but nonetheless Royal Guards don the exact same 13 pound bearskins
and 8 pound heavy coats as they would in the bitter winter cold. As a result of all that heavy clothing mixed
with the sweltering heat, and the fact that guards have to stand stock-still for hours
at a time, with no water or bathroom breaks at all, guards frequently pass out from heat
stroke! Even when their vision starts blacking out
and they feel dizzy, a feeling all too familiar to these hardcore soldiers, guards maintain
their perfect posture and stick to their post to the bitter end.
Guards are trained on how to remain standing
even after blacking out, but when you’re unconscious it’s understandable that your
training might slip your mind. This leads to the phenomenon that’s been
dubbed – Fainting to Attention, where guards fall flat on their faces, unconscious long
before they slam into the ground. While this might seem pretty unfavorable,
fainting at attention is actually highly applauded among Royal Guards and going through it is
like a right of passage for new guards. After fainting, guards will quickly pick themselves
back up and continue their watch as if nothing had happened, and after their shift they’re
usually rewarded with a night at the pub where they’re treated as heroes for being so tough
that even blacking out didn’t get in the way of their duty!.
