royal guards Archive

Royal Guards changing the Guard in Amalienborg, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Even in snowstorms and heat waves, the Royal Life Guards devotedly keep watch at their shield houses at Amalienborg Palace, keeping a watchful eye on the royal family. The historical roots of the Life Guards date back to 1658 and they have been stationed next to Rosenborg Palace since 1785. The shield houses in their present form can probably be dated back to 1740, when they were used in front of Christiansborg Palace.

From Rosenborg, the guards march daily from the barracks towards Amalienborg, where they relieve their comrades at 12 o’clock. The parade passes through the city – often accompanied by a music corps – and attracts large crowds of spectators. The whole thing has something of a fairy tale about it… The uniform of the Life Guards, with its bearskin cap, has evolved over 300 years; the characteristic blue pants, for example, have been worn since 1822.

Parade and changing of the guard come in different forms: King’s Guard, Lieutenant’s Guard and Palace Guard. The King’s Guard is the most extensive form and takes place when HM Queen Margrethe II is at Amalienborg Palace. During the Palace Guard, no member of the Royal Family is staying at Amalienborg at the time in question. The regent couple lives in Christian IX’s palace, the crown prince couple in Frederik VIII’s palace, while HRH Prince Joachim and Princess Marie as well as HRH Princess Benedikte use Christian VIII’s palace, which also houses the museum, for representation purposes. However, not only the extent of the changing of the guard, but also the use of various flags indicates which member of the royal family is currently at Amalienborg. One must pay attention to whether the royal flag, the flag of the heir to the throne, the imperial administrator flag or the royal house flag is flying above the black roofs of Amalienborg. When only the double pennant is hoisted, no one from the royal family is in the palaces of Amalienborg at the moment.

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