Dismounted Blues and Royals (left) and Life Guards (right) preparing to line the route of the Garter procession at Windsor Castle

The term Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth to describe the cavalry of the Household Divisions, a country’s most elite or historically senior military groupings or those military groupings that provide functions associated directly with the Head of state. The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on Household Division is a term used principally in the Commonwealth of Nations to describe a country’s most elite or historically senior military units or those military units Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state

Canada's Governor General's Horse Guards and India's President's Bodyguard are typical Household Cavalry regiments, employing armoured vehicles for combat duties and equestrian units for ceremonial functions. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Governor General's Horse Guards is an armoured Reconnaissance Regiment in the Primary Reserve of the Canadian Army, India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The President's Bodyguard is an elite Household cavalry Regiment of the Indian Army. When used without national qualification, however, the term generally refers to the Household Cavalry of the British Army. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces.

Life Guards and Blues and Royals

The British Household Cavalry is classed as a corps in its own right, and consists of two regiments: the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons). This article is about a military unit For alternative meanings see Corps (disambiguation. A regiment is a Military unit, composed of a variable number of Battalions – commanded by a Colonel. The Life Guards (LG is the senior Regiment of the British Army. The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons (RHG/D is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. They are the senior regular regiments in the British Army, with traditions dating from 1660, and act as the Queen's personal bodyguard. The regiments are Guards regiments and form Britain's Household Division with the five Foot Guards regiments. Foot guards is a term used to describe elite Infantry Regiments British Army The Foot Guards are the Infantry Regiments of the

Organization

Life Guards on duty in Whitehall

The Household Cavalry as a whole is split into two different units which fulfil two very distinct roles. These are both joint units, consisting of personnel from both regiments. Like other Cavalry formations, the Household Cavalry is divided into regiments (battalion-sized units) and squadrons (company-sized sub-units). A regiment is a Military unit, composed of a variable number of Battalions – commanded by a Colonel. A battalion is a Military unit of around 500-1500 men usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel A squadron is a small unit or formation of Cavalry, armour, Aircraft (including Balloons) or Warships Army A company is a Military unit, typically consisting of 75-200 Soldiers Most companies are formed of three to five Platoons although the exact number may vary The whole corps is under the command of the Commander Household Cavalry (formerly Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding Household Cavalry), who also holds the Royal Household appointment of Silver Stick in Waiting. The royal household in all the early medieval monarchies of Western Europe formed the basis for the general government of the country The Gold Stick and the Silver Stick are Bodyguard positions in the British Royal Household, personal attendants to the Sovereign on He is a Colonel, and is assisted by a major as Regimental Adjutant. Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country Adjutant is a military rank or appointment In some armies it is an officer who assists a more senior officer while in other armies it is a rank which normally corresponds The current Commander is Colonel Paddy Tabor, MVO QCVS, late The Blues and Royals. The Royal Victorian Order (RVO is a Dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry in the Commonwealth realms Created by Queen Victoria The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons (RHG/D is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry.

The first unit is the Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR). The Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and is one of two Regiments that are formed from the Household Cavalry It has an active operational role as a Formation Reconnaissance Regiment, serving in armoured fighting vehicles, which has seen them at the forefront of the nation's conflicts. The Formation Reconnaissance Regiment is one of two organisations currently provided by Cavalry regiments of the British Army. An armoured fighting vehicle ( AFV) is a military Vehicle, protected by armour and armed with Weapons Most AFVs are equipped for driving in rugged The regiment serves as part of the Royal Armoured Corps, and forms one of five formation reconnaissance regiments in the British order of battle. The Royal Armoured Corps (RAC is currently a collection of ten regular Regiments mostly converted from old horse cavalry regiments, and four Yeomanry regiments The HCR is unique among these five regiments in that it has four operational squadrons attached permanently (two from The Life Guards and two from the Blues and Royals); the other four FR regiments have three squadrons in peacetime, and would be augmented by a further squadron from a yeomanry regiment. Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Territorial Army, descended from volunteer Cavalry regiments One of HCR's Squadrons is assigned to the airborne role with 16 Air Assault Brigade. It is based at Combermere Barracks, Windsor, one mile from Windsor Castle. Combermere Barracks, Windsor, is a British military installation one mile from Windsor Castle. Windsor Castle, in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, is the largest inhabited Castle in the world and dating back to the time of The men of the Household Division sometimes have been required to undertake special tasks as the Sovereign’s personal troops. The Household Cavalry were called to Windsor Castle on 20 November 1992, to assist with salvage operations in the face of the Great Fire. Events 284 - Diocletian was chosen as Roman Emperor. 762 - Bögü Khan of the Uyghurs, Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) In 1992 Windsor Castle to the west of London, England the largest inhabited Castle in the world and one of the official residences of the British monarch

Blues and Royals on parade during Trooping the Colour

The second unit is the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR), which is horsed and carries out mounted (and some dismounted) ceremonial duties on State and Royal occasions. Trooping the Colour is a military ceremony performed by Regiments of the Commonwealth and the British Army. The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment is a ceremonial cavalry regiment of the British Army. These include the provision of a Sovereign's Escort, most commonly seen at the present Queen's Birthday Parade (Trooping the Colour) in June each year. Trooping the Colour is a military ceremony performed by Regiments of the Commonwealth and the British Army. Other occasions include those during State Visits by visiting Heads of State, or whenever required by the British monarch. TalkCommonewalth realm.--> The monarchy The regiment also mounts the guard at Horse Guards. The Queen's Guard and Queen's Life Guard are the names given to contingents of Infantry and Cavalry soldiers charged with guarding the official royal Horse Guards is a large Grade I listed building in the Palladian style between Whitehall and Horse Guards Parade in London, England It consists of one squadron from each regiment. This has been based (in various forms) at Hyde Park Barracks, Knightsbridge, since 1795. The Hyde Park Barracks are located in Knightsbridge in central London, England on the southern edge of Hyde Park. Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of Central London. This is three-quarters of a mile from Buckingham Palace, close enough for the officers and men of the Household Cavalry to be available to respond speedily to any emergency at the Palace. Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch.

Rank structure

Trooper of the Blues and Royals

The rank names and insignia of non-commissioned officers in the Household Cavalry are unique in the British Army:

Staff Corporal/Squadron Quartermaster Corporal = Staff Sergeant/Squadron Quartermaster Sergeant: Four chevrons, point up, with metal crown above, worn on lower sleeve

Corporal of Horse = Sergeant: Three chevrons, point down, with metal crown above

Lance Corporal of Horse = Corporal: Three chevrons with cloth crown above

Lance Corporal: Two chevrons with metal crown above

Technically, Lance Corporal of Horse is an appointment rather than a rank: a new Household Cavalry corporal is automatically and immediately appointed lance corporal of horse, and is referred to as such thereafter. A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer) also known as an NCO or Noncom, is an enlisted member of an Armed force Staff Corporal (SCpl or S/Cpl is the equivalent rank to Staff Sergeant in the Household Cavalry, ranking between Corporal of Horse and Warrant Officer Company Quartermaster Sergeant is a Military rank or appointment For the Brush-footed butterfly Species, see Athyma selenophora. Company Quartermaster Sergeant is a Military rank or appointment A chevron (also spelled cheveron, especially in older documents is a V-shaped pattern Corporal of Horse (CoH is a rank in the British Army 's Household Cavalry corresponding to Sergeant in other regiments Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries police forces and other uniformed organizations around the world Lance-Corporal of Horse (LCoH is an appointment unique to the Household Cavalry of the British Army, equivalent to Lance Sergeant in the Foot Guards Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and also by some police forces or other uniformed organizations Lance Corporal is a Military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide and also by some Police forces and other uniformed organizations

The Warrant Officer ranks are the same as the rest of the army, but appointments include Regimental Quartermaster Corporal and Squadron Corporal Major (WO2) and Farrier Corporal Major and Regimental Corporal Major (WO1), again excluding the word sergeant. A Warrant Officer ( WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant is a Military rank in some militaries and an appointment in others A Company Sergeant Major ( CSM) is the senior non-commissioned soldier of a company in the armies of many Commonwealth countries responsible for standards Regimental Sergeant Major ( RSM) is an appointment held by Warrant Officers Class 1 (WO1 in the British Army, the British Royal Marines and in

Horse guard, Whitehall, London. Whitehall is a road in Westminster in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards traditional London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

Formerly, sergeant was exclusively an infantry rank: no cavalry regiment had sergeants. Only the Household Cavalry now maintains this tradition, possibly because sergeant derives from the Latin serviens (meaning servant) and members of the Household Cavalry, once drawn exclusively from the gentry and aristocracy, could not be expected to have such a title. Gentry generally refers to people of high Social class, especially in the past Aristocracy is a form of Government, where rule is established through an internal struggle over who has the most status and influence over society and internal relations However this origin may be apocryphal, since serjeant was a title used by some offices of comparative seniority, such as Serjeants at Arms, and Serjeants at Law. A Serjeant at Arms (also spelled Sergeant at Arms, and sometimes Serjeant-at-Arms) is an officer appointed by a Deliberative Serjeant-at-law ( postnominal SL) was an order of Barristers at the English or Irish bar.

Uniquely, non-commissioned officers and warrant officers of the Household Cavalry do not wear rank insignia on their full dress uniforms (although officers do). Rank is indicated by a system of aiguillettes. An aiguillette is an ornamental braided cord most often worn on Uniforms but may also be observed on other costumes such as Academic dress, where it will

Private soldiers in the Household Cavalry, as in other cavalry regiments, are called "Troopers". A Private is a Soldier of the lowest Military rank (equivalent to NATO Rank Grades OR-1 to OR-3 depending on the force served in

Second Lieutenants in the Blues and Royals are known as Cornets. Cornet was originally the third and lowest grade of Commissioned officer in a British Cavalry Troop, after Captain and Lieutenant

Recruits were required to have a very high moral character. Before the Second World War, recruits were required to be at least 5 feet 10 inches tall, but could not exceed 6 feet 1 inch. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including They initially enlisted for eight years with the colours and a further four years with the reserve. ^[1]

Musical Ride

Many of the recruits have not even been on a horse before joining the Household Cavalry. Some of them only train for 18 weeks before performing their historic display, the Musical Ride, whose discipline and teamwork prepares them for operational duties.

The Musical Ride of the Mounted Regiments of the Household Cavalry was first performed at the Royal Tournament in 1882. The Royal Tournament was the World's largest Military tattoo and pageant held by the British Armed Forces annually between 1880 and 1999. The two trumpeters sitting on grey horses were historically intended to form a contrast with the darker horses, so that they could be seen on battlefields relaying officers' commands to the troops. The troops weave around the trumpeters and the celebrated drumhorse, Spartacus. ^[2]

Order of Precedence

In the British Army Order of Precedence, the Household Cavalry is always listed first and always parades at the extreme right of the line, unless the Royal Horse Artillery is on parade with its guns. For the purposes of parading the Regular army of the British Army is listed according to an order of precedence. The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA is a regiment in the British Army.

Notable members

Britain

• James Blunt (Life Guards)
• Michael Flynn (Blues and Royals)
• James Hewitt (Life Guards)
• Andrew Parker Bowles (Blues and Royals)
• Harry Wales (Blues and Royals)
• William Wales (Blues and Royals)[1]

Canada

• Thomas Holmes, (Canadian Expeditionary Force)
• Henry Jackman (Governor General's Horse Guards)
• Akaash Maharaj (Governor General's Horse Guards)

India

• William Birdwood (Viceroy's Bodyguard)
• Charles Digby Dawkins (Governor's Troop of Moghuls)
• Rajendra Prasad (President's Bodyguard)
• Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari (President's Bodyguard)

Affiliated Yeomanry

• A (Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry) Squadron, The Queen's Own Yeomanry

Footnotes

See also

• Household Division
• Structure of the British Army
• Queen's Guard
• Trooping the Colour