In 2020, as the new coronavirus spread from China to the rest of the world, the British government decided to suspend the changing of the guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace, St James Palace and Windsor Castle. After a long absence of almost two years, the Household divisions, wearing bearskin hats, are back on duty under the watchful eye of the public and visitors. Many people believe that the monarchy is a symbol of an ancient tradition that should be abolished when progressives are in the power. But Britain's constitutional monarchy is a symbol of modern democratic constitutionalism, combined with the best traditions of British conservatism. Wearing the traditional military uniform to carry out the duties of the state and protect the sacred modern monarch is an honour, not a burden, for every soldier in the Household Divisions.
Various countries around the world have ceremonial changing of the guard, often symbolically. In Taiwan, the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and the Tzuhu Presidential Mausoleum are home to the Three Armies’ Guard of Honour of the Republic of China, guarding the revolutionary martyrs who founded the republic; Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Могила Неизвестного Солдата) in Moscow, Russia, bears the inscription: "Your Name is Unknown, Your Dead is Immortal” (Имя твоё неизвестно, подвиг твой бессмертен). The Kremlin Regiment's Guard of Honour who guarded Lenin's tomb in the period of Soviet Union have been redirected to this site to guard soldiers who gave their lives to defend their country during the Soviet-German War; At Arlington National Cemetery in the USA, the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment, known as "The Old Guard", has been guarding military graves since 1948; as an old empire that valued tradition and honour, the British imperial guard, as the sovereign's personal as the private army of the monarch, the British Royal Guard was also required to guard the monarch.
The history of the Household Divisions as guardians of the monarchy dates back to the English Civil War. King Charles II of England was expelled from England by the Parliamentary forces of Cromwell and spent nearly nine years in exile on the European continent. In 1656, noblemen organised a private army to protect the king in exile. After the restoration of the kingdom of England, the change of the Guard ceremony took place at Whitehall Palace and St James's Palace, which was the residential palace of the monarch and his court in London. However, after Queen Victoria moved to Buckingham Palace in 1837, the changing of the guard ceremony took place there, and some of the guards at Whitehall Palace and St James's Palace continued to carry out their duties.
The guards were required to guard Buckingham Palace, St James's Palace and Windsor Castle, places where the monarch was always present. Buckingham Palace is used as an example, as it is the Queen's office and residence. The changing of the guard ceremony is carried out by the five main guards on a rotating basis, the Grenadier Guards, the Coldstream Guard, the Scots Guard, the Welsh Guard and the Irish Guard. The Changing of the Guard ceremony usually takes place at 11 am, daily in the summer months and every other day in the winter months. At each change of guard, the marching band plays in front and leads the way for the guards, whose number is determined by the presence or absence of the monarch. The guards depart from the Horse Guards Parade, where the annual Trooping the Colour is held to celebrate the monarch's official birthday. The guards then march from the Mall along St James's Park towards Buckingham Palace.
The guards marched against the wind in defence of the monarchy and democracy, in majestic form, with a neat, powerful and concise pace, to the strains of military music. Democracy and monarchy have never been opposites, but democracy and dictatorial tyranny are. In the constitutional tradition of Britain's uncodified constitution, if the position of the monarch represents the interests and symbols of the nation, then the gallant guardsman from the Household Divisions, charged with the duty of defending the monarch, is always the guardian of the glory of the Empire.
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