Guarding The Queen Episode 1

with their red tunics and bearskin caps the Grenadier Guards are the most famous soldiers in the world changing the guard outside Buckingham Palace they constantly strive for ceremonial perfection but they are also frontline soldiers in the world's most dangerous war zones for the first time we go behind the scenes at the Royal Palaces to show how the pride of guarding the Queen and the sacrifice of war combined to create a unique soldier the Grenadier guard [Music] [Applause] Windsor Castle the Queen is having a party [Music] tonight the Grenadier Guards won't be guarding the Queen because she's invited them to celebrate their three hundred and fiftieth anniversary [Music] [Applause] [Music] Colonel Carew heavily is the commanding officer and the proudest man in the room we're carrying on 350 years of serving the monarchy it's part of the living fabric of the nation and it's very kind of a Magister you put on tonight for us it's gonna be a good night crackling night no Regiment in the British Army is proud of its traditions than the Grenadier they have been the last line of defense around the monarch for 350 years since the Civil War this sense of tradition stretches from their colonel the Duke of Edinburgh all the way down to the most junior officers the enormity of the traditions he represents it can only lift man for man our guys are better for what they do because such an appreciation of what it means not just to be a soldier serving in the British Army which is an amazing thing but to be a grantee ago but not every Grenadier is invited to the party [Applause] get your notebooks out and shut up 500 miles north captain ollie Daugherty is leading a platoon of trainee Guardsmen on their final exercise six days battling the enemy and the elements in the Scottish Highlands yes the weather is grim yes it's gonna be misty yes it's gonna be wet okay okay but this is the climax of your course as far as I'm concerned stick with it and maintain your battlefield discipline beirut alone it good luck to meter enemy further down the bottom anything you destroy each recruit has made it through nearly six months of basic training hoping to join one of the five regiments of Foot Guards [Music] Stephen Cooper is one of 13 grenadiers who started the course at the end of the training only four remain for the last four last I've been sleeping under trees and rain there is supposed to me because of all the war there's on it that's probably is because so many people left those makers products out there quite close to be doing how to push your bodies forever when you starts feel pain in them if they can survive two more grueling days they'll finally be able to call themselves Grenadier Guards tell me about a story you're nervous I destroy those words for better days in Afghanistan yeah peak with Cooper right James no water in the safe - well [Applause] [Music] they will join the Grenadiers ceremonial soldiers who live in Wellington Barracks in the very heart of London and wearing the famous bear skins they will stand guard outside Buckingham Palace [Music] it's a world of drill royal pomp and Tourism seems like like a fairy tale I think it looks like Disney World perverts and the soundtrack to this experience is provided by another part of the Grenadiers family the legendary band of the Grenadier Guards no state occasion would be complete without them and no one is prouder of them than regimental adjutant Conway Seymour of all the world's great heroes thus none that can compare with the tar rah rah rah rah rah rah of the British and the death he's being a Grenadier for 42 years today he's welcoming to new musicians to the regiment during their 12 weeks military training they've learnt too much like soldiers do you know how lucky you are yes sir you do you are joining the best band in the bridge oh and there are standards that you have to maintain I'm delighted to have you in the band it's a close-knit and happy body of men and girls welcome and good luck [Music] musician Abby Davis is just the fifth woman to join the band her first challenge is to find her room I think this is the right side case but never the same Rainey [Music] oh that's good here see the pallets it's way bigger not unlike a proper army camp see all these army vehicles everywhere not used to seeing them when I told my friends I was gonna join the army most of them just laughed I didn't think I'd make it but definitely the music yeah I really enjoy it so I can't wait to get playing and soon Abbey joins her first band rehearsal under the watchful eye of band sergeant major Kevin bird I think for any musician that comes into this environment it's going to be a challenge when they audition first of all there they are expected to be of a certain standard they will go through basic training then they come to us so they could be anything for 18 months to two years in training before they reached the band before long Abbey will have to combine the playing with the marching changing the guard outside Buckingham Palace [Music] Catterick camp North Yorkshire the guards training depo six months ago 60 trainee Guardsmen started basic training here now Stephen Cooper and the 32 others that are left have returned from final exercise in Scotland tomorrow is their passing out parade just feels like I'm just adding a jail sentence almost please probably about one more clip because I think it's good I finally like I'm doing something that makes a problem and 14 glorious sunny day chilly you should be extremely proud of what you've achieved and when you look your section commander and patoot staff in the eye tomorrow and you want to look them in the eyes shake their hands and say thank you very much for everything you've done for me their work has transformed you into the man you are today you've done bloody well to get this far I wish you all the best of fortune our operations in 2007 well done gentlemen good luck they may have completed the training but there's still time for one last rehearsal [Applause] [Music] oh yeah of course yeah I thought the reason you lost the step because of any modules in the center and here below you'll get your thighs parallel to the ground lock your arms in and listen to the drop [Music] tomorrow all eyes will be on them but the rehearsal hasn't done well you can't afford to do that standard now Sala vision we won't accept it in the guards it's not good enough understand me understand me the trainee Guardsman now have just 16 hours till they're passing out parade [Music] in Yorkshire after 26 weeks of arduous basic training the day of the passing out parade has arrived and trainee Guardsman Stephen Cooper is getting some help knotting his tie his family has turned out in force and are overflowing with pride there's his mum his mum's boyfriend and his little sister Zoe Saturn command only Doherty still adheres to the traditional belief that a glass of port before an important parade is the best vocal warmup for Olli it's a proud day six months of effort and his boys are immaculate unlike him [Music] if you go out there thinking I'm going to show off I'm gonna enjoy this it will be a cracker okay ignore what happened yesterday on the rehearsal I would far rather have a bit of a rope you rehearsal and have a cracking parade and for my experience a rope II rehearsal equals a cracking parade we can only go one way from yesterday [Music] I was crying when two pieces actually didn't think the army had take him because he was a bit of a wild child it was it was starting to drift the wrong way at one point but I never do it it's changed a lot it's matured [Music] in just two weeks Stephen and the other new recruits will come to London but new band member Abbey is a step ahead of them today's the day for her to do her first guard change outside Buckingham Palace it's time for her to play her instrument in front of a big crowd whilst marching and wearing a bear skin it's a job that comes with its own unique set of potential hazards you need to see where you're going and not only that you need to be able to read your music dropping your music losing your mouthpiece there standing around parts she's got a stander iron for her for quite a time the whole thing from start to finish we're looking at around about two hours it may be Abi's first changing of the guard today but for the company commander it will be the last for the last 14 months major Marcus Elliot square has commanded his ceremonial company and when the Grenadier czar on guard that means he can enjoy the splendid officers mess in st. James's Palace but it's taking its toll it used to be Eggs Benedict but time moves on and as you get older you can't really afford to eat eggs benedict every morning it's not good for the body board eggs on toast with Tabasco Markus is about to swap ceremonial duties for a much tougher assignment in Afghanistan today is the last time he will lead the changing of the guard it's one of those fishbowl moments where everyone from the civilian world looks and sees the British Army and something that's quintessential it's quintessentially British but there's a chance they won't get to see it this morning it's raining and there's nothing the band hates more than rain [Music] situations decision will be made in the next 20 minutes as to whether we go ahead with the full or singing or dancing changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace the tourists the guardsmen abbey and the band and even marcus are all waiting for a decision that rests with the oncoming guards regiment [Music] decision made a little shower is not going to rain on Marcus's final parade and Abby gets to make her debut [Music] after 24 hours on guard Marcus proudly leads his grenadiers on to the palace forecourt to hand over the guard for the very last time [Music] for the last time he bellows his orders and then they're off around some James's Park back to the barracks and out of the rain leaving the tourists bedraggled but happy I thought sure the word hasn't been Pleasant today but one can't complain yeah last one last one for a while unless it's gonna be part of our job to teach the Afghan army has to Queens got numerous phone calls being made at the moment no doubt to the brigade major and to the directors of music complaining about the fact that they've had to play in the rain within 12 weeks Marcus will be in Afghanistan and Wellington Barracks a distant memory after passing out new Guardsmen Stephen Cooper is on leave at home in the Midlands this is romantic all year six months basic training has transformed him into a proud Grenadier got most of leaders from there as well we're moment I saw my life boy knows me he's just days away from guarding the Queen but he used to be just another lad getting into bother with the police I used to get loads of trouble getting fast downtown it was people i annoy me it was yours used to get his trouble because of my anger in the south I've calmed down a lot though divorced few problems you've seen that violent Sanya at one point because he did take on the violence literally no they talked about no but no masters did you've pulled yourself all good and you said yourself you had a bad temper and he did have a very short fuse on him but he's learnt to control that it's your determination really because if you didn't want to do it you definitely won't have done it Chris is that stubborn Stephens determination is about to take him to London to the very heart of British ceremonial life [Music] [Applause] [Music] also joining a company is his new boss major torold Youngman Sullivan who's just returned from Iraq the officers mess it's in James's Palace is a world away from what Stephen Cooper can expect to find when he gets here everywhere you turn there are bits of tradition and history and little touches every bit of silver that you look at this is supposed to be one of her Napoleon's Chargers whose Merengues hoof used as a as a snuff vessel holder at the moment but everywhere you look this was presented by let me see roll Marines if Duke of York and albany's maritime regiment of foot I am responsible for the Queen's Guard I have a detachment and an officer in charge in the Tower of London I have a detachment and an officer based here in San James's and detachment and lost based in Buckingham Palace but I enjoy Windsor Castle to be honest with you 48 hours we will provide the security those ceremonial and non ceremonial in conjunction with the police for all three palaces and whilst are on guard we are very very well looked after here but we're not allowed out all women have to be out of James's Palace by 8 o'clock so you can entertain but you can't go anywhere while torold enjoys his gilded cage the four new Guardsmen have to report to their London barracks for these lads it's a whole new world [Music] flippin others koala people on it I've got you Times Square than you [Music] what else happened yeah I want to see some of this got practice on the window huh what's that ha ha use bacon ale pie 7:45 some sausages and mash six pun 75 fish and chips having quit this is the room that the four of them will share while in Wellington Barracks the last occupants haven't done them any favours most money that's good really like it next morning it's a quick guided tour of the barracks from their platoon sergeant officers mess to our right to the science mess okay Gorham gymnasium medical and dental center do you know where we are now questions for happy good I figure but the most daunting prospect of their first morning will be meeting their new bosses major and company sergeant major Steve Monroe thank you comes major so welcome to Nijmegen company I expect you to keep yourselves fit I expect your turnout to be immaculate as well as your behavior at all times you're all young guys and we expect a lot from you you are Guardsmen now there is no turning the tap off you're always in the British Army 24/7 welcome to the Grenadier family it's a fantastic family to be in and I look forward to getting to know you over the months later matcha sir monkeys [Music] while the ban and a hundred and twenty grenadiers put on a show for the tourists in front of Buckingham Palace the remaining six hundred men at the regiment look ahead to their next mission which will take them to Afghanistan welcome to the new guards battle group plan four months is not a long time for us to get ready what promises to be a pre crunchy and emotional tour out there so Colonel Carew heavily is the commanding officer his men have just returned from Iraq and now in the quickest turnaround the British infantry has yet attempted he's got just four months to prepare them to fight the Taliban in the most dangerous corner of Afghanistan will train the Afghan National Army 3rd Brigade this is what we expect to do a Brit helping an Afghan to do the war fighting bit but in extremists you all need to be prepared to also do that where the Afghans are now watching the Brit do the war fighting bit they try to make the training as realistic as possible but the English weather doesn't help we're going to be an apparent desert land or whatever we're here amongst trees of Norfolk in December so you couldn't get more to it much more different if you tried hard really to make their training relevant to their role in Afghanistan they brought in some genuine Afghans to help them learn how to fight using interpreters also helped the Grenadier zarnow to any language or cultural problems that might crop up we'll be teaching the ak-47 the training ranges from the technical to the diplomatic perhaps if he could command from slightly further back he's the most important man here a man of his important if I could just make a suggestion just want to watch him that he doesn't deviate and do his own thing [Applause] [Music] after a year of guarding Buckingham Palace and all the fine dining that goes with it Marcus and square has a large challenge board to clear the area of any suspected Taliban he's joined the Grenadiers is preparing for Afghanistan on exercise in Northumberland soon he'll be fighting for real but already he's finding the going tough it's certainly been a bit of a shock to the system my wife has said that I've been 40 pampered in Nijmegen company and coming back to battalion there's been a more of a shock to the system than I'd previously imagined it would be obviously as we can hear a bit of a bit of a cold Marcus is leading his platoon on an assault across open ground the exercise has to be as realistic as possible that means using real bullets the assault begins everyone is firing live ammunition everyone that is except Marcus with rifle has journal while Marcus struggles to get his weapon working his the toon sergeant takes over [Applause] yeah what's his grades been off I mean engage that target there the assault over Marcus catches up with his men Hardware very hard getting the full angle he may be feeling a little puffed but this evening he has to lead his entire company on a much more dangerous night assault and keep them clear of the lethal firepower of tanks and aircraft oh it's hot it's been a tough day and it's going to be an even tougher night the band too is being put to the test today they face their annual examination from the Army Corps of Music I haven't seen the directors staff arrive yet and band sergeant major Kevin Byrd has some last-minute good confidence starts don't over blow in the first two ranks [Applause] the inspection will put them under the steely gaze of left-handed Colonel Stephen Smith the Army's principal director of music if he's not happy they won't be deemed fit for role and that would be the height of embarrassment for the band Conway Seymour looks on from his office anxious that his band does itself justice [Music] when our back strike up it is a rally stirring field [Music] everybody grows six inches in height because you immediately shoulders back and up neck in the back of the collar I defy any any Grenadier not to feel proud but the band's repertoire has to reach far beyond marching music next up is the classical Orchestra section so far not a flicker of a smile from leftenant Colonel Smith [Music] then there's the big-band section still no hint from the car [Music] and finally the dance bank [Music] at last a smile and band sergeant major Kevin Byrd seems confident the ensemble that has come together and we've produced some great sounds today so I'm really pleased and when the inspection report arrives Conway seymour is once again the proudest man in Wellington Barracks I have to say it is the most wonderful report it says the band of the Grenadier Guards is deemed fully fit for role with the band judged fit to carry on with their ceremonial duties the new recruits are preparing to guard the Queen for the first time and for that they'll need a bearskin no these are expensive do not use them as footballs although the player skins are black it's actually starts off life as a brown bear which are actually called in Canada as a form of pest control the reason we all agree we're the Basking cap is through the butler waterloo where the first foot guards defeated the french imperial guard and as they murdered them as they kill them they actually then stole the Basking cap then there's the jacket in the summer it will be the famous scarlet tunics but in winter they wear gray --great coats the whole outfit costs over two thousand pounds per man next they take their first clumsy steps towards mounting guard outside the palace but there's a lot to learn with so many men in training for Afghanistan the grenadiers ceremonial company is at full stretch so the new recruits will have to learn fast company sergeant major Steve Monroe has just seven days to knock them into shape before they take their place in front of thousands of spectators for the changing of the guard you know constant training and you're not doing what Steve is a legend on the drill square but he's also a sergeant major with a guilty secret I hate drill with a passion I absolutely hate it you're not gonna get away with that by any stretch of the imagination I think the way should never do is let the blokes know that you don't like it and so as far as they are concerned I sleep in drill kit and I can't get enough but I'm close to a coma when I say stop you then retake your dress in an arm's distance from the right eye like Leo Sayer more than true have you got a free ticket to McDonald's well get back you've gotta be stone-faced never let them know just how much you paint it [Music] it was bad but that was spirit Specter because just took this on the Jewish grant told us to do it on as I was going on what's going on the time has come for major Marcus Elliot square to face his toughest test yet he has to lead his company in a night assault using live ammunition the rest of the regiment's been preparing for this since last year but Marcus has only just rejoined them after his stint as a ceremonial soldier with deployment to Afghanistan fast approaching he's got to get up to speed quickly it's cold it's dark and he's being closely watched by his boss the colonel he knows all these blokes are cold they're a little bit tired from having been fighting all the way through the day and bring yourself round online I'm home I've got loads of information coming in and he's got to sift it almost instantaneously find out what's relevant for him and then act on it now maybe I found another 50 makers or tart this way Marcus orders his men forward get some the cue I support will all open up that's the cue and in there go with tracer bullets flying just above their heads [Applause] Marcus did really well tonight really impressive I didn't have to get in there at all and say come on let's get a move on get up there and I'm happy I don't need to drive them anymore they're driving themselves quite nicely now it's been a good exercise for Marcus and his men but in just six weeks the bullets will be flying in both directions [Music] the time has come for Stephen Cooper and the other new recruits to finally take their place on guard outside Buckingham Palace I'm just trying straighten out the King because without kinking my coaching so I'll be told the way I do it is to I wrap you up in a towel and smack your ass Stephen Cooper's mum and little sister Zoe have travelled down for the big day didn't get much sleep last night and for Stephen it's a bad start his trousers known as tweeds are in danger of falling down boys in my trees a mission that my braces gone and I didn't even realize it into this morning here well small little soccer toy soldier so they'll probably be a little bit nervous is quite windy out there as well which has a another dimension to whether you're basking caps going to blow off or not say well we had a lot of things for them to think about I think they'll probably be feeling overall a bit like a rabbit caught in headlights girls touching all the Blues Gaza Gaza coops ages five session of the Queen's Guard said thought your tweets those are your tweets on it sir are you wearing braces I said no do you put the slapped off this monitor and you just come off the square foot over an hour what's your name Cooper sir Gordon Cooper bad order sir Azen Cooper bad odors it wasn't Cooper battle changing the guard at Buckingham Palace always attracts the tourists and it forced the band to entertain them while they wait for the ceremony to begin it's a special day for Stephen but the drum major is pulling out all the stops for a different reason standing next to me today is drum major state two wearing his state clothing for reason he's wearing his state clothing is because it's the countess of wessex his birthday royal birthdays and accessions drum majors wear their stake the best or suggest the British Army Steve and Cooper may have trouble with his tweets but this won't stop him mounting his first Queens guard [Music] the tourists may not have a clue what it all means but changing the guard is the most polished and practiced military ritual and the British armed every order every step has been refined over centuries by thousands of Guardsmen guarding the Royal Palaces since 1660 [Music] [Applause] [Music] it is an elaborate show of strength and discipline but what's going on is very simple one set of Guardsmen have marched from their backs to replace another in the famous century boxes outside the palace [Music] I just hope he's taking it all in and this is what he's today I was feeling this crowded I'm knowing Stephen will probably be thinking on board now let me get some action the new recruits are going straight on sentry duty every 15 minutes for the next two hours they will march 10 yards turn around and come back again apart from that they just have to stand still [Music] but Stephen Cooper's debut won't take place at Buckingham Palace instead he joins a small detachment that heads down the mall to some James's Palace where he will form part of the security for Prince Charles and princes William and Harry [Music] searches [Music] it's the one guard post that is completely open to close-up public scrutiny and that includes his mum and little sister Zoe [Music] happy it's not muscle under there [Music] and smile phenomena [Music] [Music] next time the Grenadiers pull out all the stops for a VIP guest the march to war gathers pace and Conway Cemal bids farewell to his beloved regimen [Music] you

Channel: All3Media

Views: 5,360,536

Rating: 4.7479916 out of 5

Keywords: Royal, Family, Guards, Army, Soldiers, Queen, Prince, Bearskin, London, Tourist, Grenadier, Afghanistan, War, Training, Cadet, Documentary, Military, Buckingham, Place, Coldstream, Jubilee

Id: sL4WL4h_I1A

Length: 46min 34sec (2794 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 20 2011

Reddit Comments

[u/ArgonSyn]

Part 1/3

Part 2/3

Part 3/3

[u/Freddy216b]

This is amazing! Thank you for sharing! As a Canadian who supports the monarchy and the tradition surrounding it, it's nice to get a good inside look at what the Queen's Guards do.

[u/grendelt]

@24:30 - Those 4 new recruits reporting to the company commander's office was hilarious.
"Monkeys..."

[u/Spear99]

Ughhhhh someone please help me. What is the song the orchestra starts playing around minute 1? I've played it before but I cannot remember. .__.