The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) is a

cavalry regiment Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating a ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

tasked primarily with ceremonial duties. Part of the

Household Division 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 that provide ceremonial or protective functions associated directly with ...

, it is classed as a regiment of guards, and carries out mounted (and some dismounted) ceremonial duties on State and Royal occasions. The HCMR is one of two operational units that form the

Household Cavalry The Household Cavalry (HCav) is made up of the two most senior regiments of the British Army, the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons). These regiments are divided between the Household Cavalry Regiment st ...

(HCav), the other being the

Household Cavalry Regiment The Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR) is an Armoured Cavalry regiment of the British Army based in Bulford Camp in Wiltshire. It is the brother regiment of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) based at Hyde Park Barracks in London - both ...

(HCR), a

formation reconnaissance regiment The Formation Reconnaissance Regiment is one of two organisations currently provided by cavalry regiments of the British Army. Until recently, it was known as the Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment. Formation reconnaissance regiments, as the name ...

, with front-line combat duties.

History

In 1945, following the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the 1st and 2nd Household Cavalry Regiments were reformed as the Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards respectively. Along with these changes, each regiment provided one mounted squadron each for ceremonial duties in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. These two squadrons were grouped as the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment. By 1991, this regiment was based at

Knightsbridge Barracks The Hyde Park Barracks are in Knightsbridge in central London, on the southern edge of Hyde Park. They were often known as Knightsbridge Barracks and this name is still sometimes used informally. The barracks are from Buckingham Palace, enabl ...

(also known as Hyde Park Barracks uilt between 1967 and 1970, in

Central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its characteris ...

. The regiment continues to be based at the location.

Establishment

It consists of one sabre

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

from each regiment of the

(the Life Guards and the

Blues and Royals 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 Regiment. The Colonel of the Regiment is Anne, Princess Royal. It is the second-most senior regiment in ...

) plus a Headquarters Squadron, and the Household Cavalry Training Wing. Each of the Squadrons consists of two divisions of one officer and 24 men. This has been based (in various forms) at Hyde Park Barracks,

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End of London, West End. ...

, since 1795. This is three-quarters of a mile from

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

, close enough for the officers and men of the Household Cavalry to be available to respond speedily to any emergency at the Palace and also to conduct their ceremonial duties.

Public duties

Sentry of the Life Guards at Horse Guards Parade

EARLY MORNING REHEARSAL FOR STATE OPENING OF PARLIAMENT MOD 45159945

The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment carries out regular ceremonial duties throughout the year. As the Sovereign's bodyguard and part of the

, the HCMR mounts a daily guard (called

King's Life Guard The King's Guard and King's Life Guard (called the Queen's Guard and the Queen's Life Guard when the reigning monarch is female) are the contingents of infantry and cavalry soldiers charged with guarding the official royal residences in the U ...

) at Horse Guards, which is the historical and ceremonial entrance to Buckingham Palace. This ceremony can be viewed daily by members of the public. The HCMR is responsible for the provision of the Sovereign's Escort, most commonly seen at the monarch's annual Birthday Parade (

Trooping the Colour Trooping the Colour is a ceremony performed every year in London, United Kingdom, by regiments of the British Army. Similar events are held in other countries of the Commonwealth. Trooping the Colour has been a tradition of British infantry regi ...

) in June each year. The escort is also seen at other occasions, including during

state visit A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...

s by visiting heads of state, or whenever required by the British monarch. The regiment provides a staircase party inside

at state

Investiture Investiture (from the Latin preposition ''in'' and verb ''vestire'', "dress" from ''vestis'' "robe") is a formal installation or ceremony that a person undergoes, often related to membership in Christian religious institutes as well as Christian k ...

s, and inside the

Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parli ...

at the annual

State Opening of Parliament The State Opening of Parliament is a ceremonial event which formally marks the beginning of a session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It includes a speech from the throne known as the King's (or Queen's) Speech. The event takes place ...

. They are also present at the annual Garter Ceremony at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original cast ...

Musical ride

The Household Cavalry Musical Ride has been performed at agricultural shows,

military tattoos A military tattoo is a performance of music or display of armed forces in general. The term comes from the early 17th-century Dutch phrase ''doe den tap toe'' ("turn off the tap"), a signal sounded by drummers or trumpeters to instruct innkeeper ...

since the 1880s. The display is often accompanied by the drum horses and mounted State Trumpeters of The Mounted Band Of The Household Cavalry. During the display it is usually recorded music of that band. The Musical Ride demonstrates the skills that were required by cavalry in times of war. The display was a firm favourite at the

Royal Tournament The Royal Tournament was the world's largest military tattoo and pageant, held by the British Armed Forces annually between 1880 and 1999. The venue was originally the Royal Agricultural Hall and latterly the Earls Court Exhibition Centre. In its l ...

where it was first performed in 1882, the Musical Ride was performed at the last Royal Tournament in 1999. Since 2010, it has also performed at the British Military Tournament.

Band

The Mounted Band Of The Household Cavalry was a merger in 2014 of the 35 piece Band Of The Blues and Royals and the 35 piece Band Of The Life Guards. They are now one band of 64 musicians but wear the uniform of both The Blues and Royals and The Life Guards. They come under CAMUS, the Corps of Army Music. They also provide State Trumpeters.

Alliances and twinnings

* – HMS ''Westminster'' * – Cavalry Regiment of the French Republican Guard

Footnotes

References

External links

Household Cavalry Mounted RegimentAn Introduction to the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment
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website {{The British Army Household Cavalry Cavalry regiments of the British Army British ceremonial units Military units and formations established in 1945