Black high hats and red uniforms , these are Her Majesty's guards. They are a symbol of London and Britain, they are brave soldiers, almost always they have gone through wars or batterfields, experienced and skillful.
The uniform of the guards is incredibly beautiful. It has remained unchanged for several centuries. Differences on the collars and in the locations of the buttons indicate the belonging to the regiment.
In the Grenadier Regiment, the emblem of the collar is a pomegranate, and the buttons are in one row, with the blue ear on the cap on the left. Еhe Coldstream Guards Regiment has the emblem of the collar - the star of the garter, buttons - two through the distance, on the hat there is a red ear on the right. Inthe Welsh (Welsh) regiment, the emblem of the collar is a leek, the buttons go five at a distance, and on the cap there is a green and white ear on the left. In the Irish regiment, the emblem of the collar is a shamrock, four buttons, and the ear on the hat is blue on the right. In the Scottish Regiment, the emblem of the collar is a thistle, the buttons are three in a row, there is nothing on the cap, just plain black bearskin.
Guardsmen in red uniforms guard Buckingham Palace, Tower and Windsor. According to my own experience it is very easy to be photographed with the guardsmen in Windsor. But I did not take a photo,without me many tourists are bother them. I remember guards in Windsor well, they were marching everywhere. For example, I was standing in line to a museum, a doll house and suddenly I saw them, marching in the half-meter from me, so handsome and exciting.
Black guardsmen cap- this is a special theme. It's called bearskin and it is really made of bear fur. In recent years, animal advocates have been particularly active, arranging actions to make bear fur replaced by artificial fur.Stella McCartney especially beats for animal rights. But in favor of natural furs, the government argues that, unlike the artificial one, it does not deteriorate in any weather, it serves an average of a century and gives jobs to Canadian hunters who drown without government orders from the British Empire. Artificial hats spoil for a year and are thrown out, polluting a planet. I will not comment, I will say one thing, as long as 2030 the government will not be engaged in changing traditional "bearskin"into artificial fur caps.
Bearskin - 46 cm tall, an average hat weighs about 3 kg. Made strictly from black Canadian bears. The history of these caps goes back to 1815, when at the Battle of Waterloo the British army followed the example of the Napoleonic guards and made its version of the fur cap. The British began to look taller and more frightening. Guardsmen liked such a cap guardsmen, it also warmed well and it protected a head like a helmet.
Bearskin warms well, guardsmen faint and they sometimes fall down on a hot day, but the tradition is the tradition.Bearskin hats were worn, are worn and will be worn.
In winter, the uniform of guardsmen on the parade(ceremony "The changing of the Guard) is lilac-grey, especially on a gloomy day, it looks depressing, but in summer the traditional red color pleases in any weather. The parade from April to September is held every day at 11.30 and this is what is really worth seeing in London.
Visit the parade! And enjoy the music on the parade. If you are lucky, you will be able to hear both the British hymn"God, save ur gracious Queen!" and the Beatles. Enjoy.
P.S.London Guards have L86 in their hands)) Really skillful, well-equipped and modern knights of Britain!
My needle-felted London Guards