Coming from all corners of the (former) Empire! Canadian Mounties train in Hyde Park in preparation for Jubilee celebrations! t3 P' r. p( h D
By Jamie Mcginnes
( u+ P' A9 V& k8 |; xPUBLISHED: 16:22 GMT, 22 May 2012 | UPDATED: 16:33 GMT, 22 May 2012
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Canadian Mounties had a final training session in Hyde Park ahead of their historic ride down the Mall tomorrow, when they will act as the Queen's personal bodyguard.
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In the run-up to the Diamond Jubilee, the Queen invited the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to take part in the 11 o'clock Changing of the Queen’s Life Guard ceremony with the Household Cavalry.
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! q, R7 m* Q V6 F) t2 D# B+ otvb now,tvbnow,bttvbThe Mounties will become the first non-military unit to guard the Queen during the centuries' old tradition.TVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。+ w" C1 G4 y M& a
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6 C4 @& P' `8 mUnusual sight: Canadian Mounties took part in a final training session in Hyde Park today, ahead of their historic Diamond Jubilee role as bodyguard to the Queentvb now,tvbnow,bttvb3 D# _3 g+ f, v6 P
4 k6 W$ B, f8 A! [( |* KMajor Rolf Kurth, of The London Regiment, told MailOnline that today's final preparations in the sunshine went well.
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2 z+ Y8 K$ S/ T* f. C9 A2 V4 ytvb now,tvbnow,bttvbHe added: 'They were riding through Hyde Park with their broad-brimmed RCMP stetsons on, which must have surprised a few tourists, especially Canadians.'; A0 q, H& j+ ]. ^
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A strong relationship was forged between the Royal Family and the Mounties in 1904 when the Queen's grandfather, King Edward VII, granted the Canadian Mounted Police the prefix 'Royal' in recognition of its services to Canada and the Empire.
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! a# y) l, J9 d5 `5.39.217.76Her personal bodyguard, known today as the Queen's Life Guard, has been guarding the ceremonial entrance to the royal residence since the 17th century.公仔箱論壇* N7 v& Z% z; K& P+ n9 Q
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Flying the flag: The detachment of Canadian police officers will act as the Queen's bodyguard in the run-up to the Jubilee
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Putting on a show: The horses kick up a dust storm as they trot through a sandy part of Hyde Park, London公仔箱論壇/ E C, s+ R' A6 O, n
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Today, they are best known as the iconic London image of a mounted trooper rigidly sitting on his horse in a sentry box on Whitehall, surrounded by crowds of tourists.公仔箱論壇8 m X2 z g# n9 r" _& k
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Regimental Corporal Major Warren Brown, 43, the Household Cavalry's senior soldier, said: 'I flew out to Canada to teach the Mounties how to do the changing of the guard and I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly they all picked it up.
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' w+ D" w: S& \" I3 M Htvb now,tvbnow,bttvb'It's not easy learning someone else's drills, commands and ceremonies when you haven't had hundreds of years of that tradition passed down to you.'
* m* j) R3 i2 r; J- l* ~He added: 'They will be using our cavalry black horses and they can be quite a handful if you are not used to riding horses as huge as ours. 公仔箱論壇% V; Z9 o6 C# L" B) g, U$ b9 Z+ O7 H! c
2 A0 r# s( L# U4 P9 n3 K, [) h+ r; U5.39.217.76'Thankfully, they are all excellent horsemen and women and used to riding in busy urban environments.'
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7 n: z4 h" Q$ V8 f, Q; htvb now,tvbnow,bttvbThe guard is normally made up of 15 soldiers, including a captain when Her Majesty is in residence, and lasts for 24 hours.
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9 J: {1 F. e1 l9 J% g+ U* f# |% jThey always get their Ma'am: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police train in Hyde Park on horses from the Household Cavalry
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1 E; p4 g* u9 K A) u; U9 Ytvb now,tvbnow,bttvbAt 11 o'clock everyday, the off-coming guard are replaced by the new guard during a half-hour ceremonial ritual on Horse Guards Parade ground.
, B/ O9 H0 G5 d: {* i4 H8 `tvb now,tvbnow,bttvbAs well as tomorrow, the Mounties will perform the ceremony again on Friday.
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Historic: The Mounties will become the first non-military unit to guard the Queen during the centuries-old Changing of the Queen's Life Guard ceremony. The right-hand picture shows Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sergeant Major Bill Stewart, left, talking with Staff Corporal Rupert Hackman of the Household Cavalry
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The Household Cavalry's red-coated Life Guards and blue-coated Blues and Royals are the guardians of the historic role.tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb0 v% ]/ {4 B0 c2 H' J
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- k; O# d& E" i5 ~+ Rtvb now,tvbnow,bttvbIn 1937 the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were given the honour of meeting Her Majesty after riding out of Hyde Park Barracks using the same route as the Queens Life Guard.
; ]0 Y3 [5 ?/ e! @. F; zIn 2000 Lord Strathcona's Horse - the Household Cavalry's Canadian cousins - mounted Queen’s Life Guard at the Horse Guards.6 }, |8 i) E0 ]4 o
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To date, the Canadians are the only non-British unit to be awarded this honour." F7 d$ v, Y6 m- Z) M
The only other British unit to mount the Queen's Life Guard is the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery.
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2 h, F* {0 v \$ |7 J3 C2 a; JWhen the Queen is in residence the guard becomes a 'Long Guard' with the addition of an officer, corporal major (carrying the standard) and trumpeter astride a grey horse.
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Prepared: The Queen's personal bodyguard, known as the Queen's Life Guard, has been guarding the ceremonial entrance to the royal residence since the 17th century
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When The Queen is away the guard becomes a 'Short Guard' of 12 men and horses and is commanded by an non-commissioned officer. tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb f- P! U" e c I1 A
5 a9 M: z& K2 u8 i d5.39.217.76The Queen's Life Guard is mounted every single day of the year including weekends and holidays.tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb$ ?% G8 u8 Q; g- n+ b
2 [0 ]8 q3 v& v8 q5.39.217.76The sentry positions - known as 'reliefs' - are awarded based on troopers' cleanliness, with the most favourable positions in the boxes on Whitehall where the duty lasts an hour sitting on a horse. tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb/ Z \1 A. E/ V5 s
! Z1 g4 i- R' |9 s! I8 ptvb now,tvbnow,bttvbLess favourable positions are standing in the arches.
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* C! {6 g) b& j5.39.217.76Changing of the guard: After special training by members of the Household Cavalry riding staff, the Mounties will perform the Changing of the Queen's Life Guard ceremony tomorrow and Friday 5.39.217.76! C2 U; L4 V( L) y
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Royal invite: Mounties were in Hyde Park in London today but will ride along The Mall tomorrow |