12 things you never knew about the Queen’s guard

The British royal family has captured the curiosity of many people, British and otherwise, and they raise lots of questions. However, there’s another group of people that spends a lot of time around Buckingham Palace, and while far less high-profile, they might be just as fascinating. The notoriously still and stoic Queen’s Guardsmen (and women) also raise a lot of questions. Luckily, a Reddit.comQ-and-A with a working guardsman set out to answer them. From hats to hot weather, here are the 12 most interesting things we learned.

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.

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Almost as intimidating as the screen name ‘nibs123’ are the fluffy black hats that the Guard wears. OK, yeah, they’re not all that intimidating. But apparently, in ‘the old days,’ the hats were considered intimidating. Also, the hats’ chinstraps are fastened under their noses in case of attack: cavalry soldiers would aim for the head. The placing of the strap ensures that ‘the hat would come off if hit without breaking our necks.’ Delightful.

According to the Redditor, the hats weigh ‘about two to four kilograms.’ As if that weren’t enough, the hat is ‘heavier if it gets wet.’ Yikes!

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Those hats look so furry because…they’re made from real bear fur. The Redditor says that they did try the more humane option of ‘synthetic’ furs, but the colours ran too easily. However, that doesn’t mean guard-hat-makers are massacring bears on the daily. “We only get new [hats] if the old ones are too far gone to repair,” the Redditor says. And, apparently, that takes quite a while; his hat is from 1968.

How difficult is it to become a member of the Queen’s Guard? Since the Guard is basically a military organisation, candidates have to pass the BARB, the British Army Recruit Battery test. According to the Redditor, the BARB tests your ‘basic logic and smarts.’ The other requirement he mentions? ‘You must be tall.’

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…but you probably don’t want to be on the receiving end. Guards “are allowed to get [people] away by shouting…warnings if they fail to move away or start to act aggressively,” the Reddit guard says. For instance, they’re known to yell “make way for the Queen’s Guard!” at tourists who get in their way. He finds shouting this to be a fun part of the job.

Yes, standing there for hours on end does get tedious. “I tend to sing songs in my head or try to remember…a movie from start to finish in my head,” says the Redditor guard. “I’ve gotten pretty good at that.” Sometimes he’ll even try to photobomb tourists (while maintaining his professional demeanour, of course). “Also, sometimes I just people watch, since they’re doing it to me.” Seems fair.

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One of the most iconic traits of the Guard is their strut-march combo of a walk, and many tourists try to imitate it. According to the Redditor, they usually fail: “A lot of people try to mock the way we march by doing it all wrong, which is sometimes annoying.

Some people think the guards aren’t allowed to move at all, but that’s not true; in fact, moving is pretty much mandatory. The only movements they’re allowed during their regular shift are to “turn to the left, march about 10 paces, turn around, and go back to standing still,” says the Redditor. “It’s best to do this every 10 minutes or so to stop yourself from fainting from the blood that gets trapped in your legs.”