THE HOUSEHOLD DIVISION
The Household Division comprises seven British Army Regiments serving His Majesty The King. These are:
- Household Cavalry (composed of the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals)
- Foot Guards (composed of the Grenadier Guards, the Coldstream Guards, the Scots Guards, the Irish Guards, and the Welsh Guards)
The Division’s motto is Septem Juncta in Uno (Seven joined in one).
The seven regiments that form the Household Division are units of the regular British army. In 2004, the Minister of Defence announced that the Foot Guards would gain a reserve (or Territorial Army) battalion, the London Regiment, which has since been retitled as the London Guards.

The Household Division and the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery are collectively referred to as the Household Troops. They are under the command of the Major-General Commanding the Household Division, who is also General Officer Commanding London District. From 1950-1968, the term Household Brigade was used.
The connection with the Sovereign remains important ceremonially and operationally, and the Household Division provides both ceremonial and operational support for the Crown. One of the five Foot Guards regiments is selected each year to troop their colour before the Sovereign at Trooping the Colour annually in June. This ceremony includes march-pasts in slow and quick time and is attended by the Household Troops. Orders for the Household Division are conveyed through the Royal Household to the Major General via the Field Officer in Brigade Waiting (for the Foot Guards) and the Silver Stick in Waiting (for the Household Cavalry).
The Household Division provides two battalions and incremental companies at any one time tasked for public duties, which include the protection of the Sovereign. In the event of crisis or war, it is believed that one of these would be responsible for protecting the person of the Sovereign and facilitating his or her evacuation if this were necessary. In the Second World War a special unit, known as Coats Mission, was entrusted with this latter task. In the 1960s, war plans apparently envisaged evacuating the Sovereign to the Royal Yacht Britannia. It would appear that, contrary to a persistent rumour, there were no plans for the Sovereign to join the Prime Minister at the Corsham bunker complex known variously as Hawthorn or Turnstile.
THE KING’S BIRTHDAY PARADE 2023
Trooping the Colour & flypast 2023 in full: King Charles III celebrates his first birthday parade. Relive the historic day by watching this video by The Telegraph.
Rewind to the start position to watch the entire coverage, or scroll to parts you wish to view further.
Air date: Saturday 17 June 2023
Video length 3 hours 10 minutes 45 seconds
(All credit to The Telegraph and YouTube)
THE CORONATION OF KING CHARLES III : RELIVE THE MAGIC
King Charles and Queen Camilla were crowned in a ceremony that was watched by millions around the world. Relive the historic day by watching this video by The Royal Channel.
Rewind to the start position to watch the entire coverage, or scroll to parts you wish to view further.
Air date: Saturday 6 May 2023
Video length 6 hours 11 minutes 20 seconds
(All credit to Royal Family Channel and YouTube)
STATE FUNERAL (SEPTEMBER 2022) – THE FUNERAL OF HER LATE MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II
Coverage of the full (then LIVE) State Funeral Procession to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Original air date: Monday 19 September 2022
The funeral took place on the morning of Monday 19 September alongside processions in London and Windsor, with public viewing areas and big screens in both locations.
Video length 9 hours 58 minutes 25 seconds
(All credit to Royal Family Channel and YouTube)
DETAILS OF THE EVENT
Across the country big screens were erected, including in London’s Hyde Park, Sheffield’s Cathedral Square, Birmingham’s Centenary Square, Carlisle’s Bitts Park, Edinburgh’s Holyrood Park and Coleraine Town Hall in Northern Ireland. Cinemas across the UK also opened their screens to show the funeral – bringing together local communities to commemorate.
The funeral service and processions were shown live on BBC One, ITV and Sky for those who wished to watch at home.
At 10.44am, The Queen’s coffin moved from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey for the state funeral. Two thousand guests were expected to attend the service, which began at 11am and was followed by a national two-minute silence at 11.55am.
A public procession began at 12.15pm as Her Majesty’s coffin travelled from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch in London.
The procession, in seven groups, was supported by a service band, that travelled along Broad Sanctuary, Parliament Square, Whitehall, Horse Guards Parade, Horse Guards Road, The Mall, Constitution Hill and ended up at London’s Wellington Arch.
Space dedicated for those with accessibility requirements was available at the Green Park side of The Mall and the St James’s Park side of The Mall. The Albert Memorial viewing areas had British Sign Language interpreters and a hearing loop.
Her Majesty’s coffin was then carried from Wellington Arch by the State Hearse to Windsor where The Queen was laid to rest.
The hearse arrived in Albert Road and, at 3.10pm, it travelled in procession along Albert Road and the Long Walk before arriving at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle ahead of the committal service, where The Queen was buried next to the Duke of Edinburgh. The events at St. George’s Chapel were a family affair and were not open to the public.
There was a limited number of public viewing areas on The Long Walk, including a number of viewing spaces for those with accessibility needs, and there were big screens for people to watch the services and procession from London.
Those who wished to line the processional route were encouraged to plan ahead and prepare for delays to travel.
A National Moment of Reflection took place at 8pm on Sunday 18 September 2022. Community groups, clubs and other organisations, as well as people at home were encouraged to mark the moment in the form of a one-minute silence.
TROOPING THE COLOUR (2022) – THE QUEEN’S PLATINUM JUBILEE
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the parade returned to its usual place in London and on Horse Guards Parade.
The BBC present extended coverage of Trooping the Colour that was held at the start of the special four day Bank Holiday weekend to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee (70 year reign) of Her Majesty The Queen.
The morning’s events culminated with the annual appearance of the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. It was the turn of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards to troop their Colour in this annual display of pageantry and music in June 2022.
Air date: Thursday 2 June 2022
Video length 3 hours 14 minutes 06 seconds
(All credit to the BBC and YouTube)
TROOPING THE COLOUR (2021)
A scaled-back parade is held at Windsor for the second year running due to the Covid pandemic.
Huw Edwards introduces live coverage of this spectacular military parade from Windsor Castle to mark the official birthday of HM the Queen, in this her 69th birthday parade as sovereign. This year, it’s the turn of F Company Scots Guards to troop their colour in this annual display of pageantry and music.
Air date: Saturday 12 June 2021
Video length 1 hours 28 minutes 53 seconds
(All credit to the BBC and YouTube)