Queen Elizabeth II's coffin conveyed on a Gun Carriage of The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster - Jamie Lorriman© Jamie Lorriman
Thousands of military personnel will be on parade throughout the day of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed. The ministry in a statement said around 4,000 military personnel in total would be on parade, including Commonwealth personnel. However, the actual figure is higher, as it does not include logistic and other supporting staff.
There will be more than 3,000 personnel involved in the procession from Westminster to Westminster Abbey, the state funeral and the procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch, with over 1,650 personnel forming part of the procession.
Here is a list of the military units taking part in the late Queen's funeral and their roles explained:
Royal Marines
The Royal Marines are the amphibious troops of the Royal Navy and specialise in frontline combat operations. They have been deployed to multiple environments across the globe, including deserts, jungles and the Arctic, throughout their 358-year history. During the Covid-19 pandemic, they also assisted to help run testing centres and support local communities.
The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery
The saluting battery of the Household troops, The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, led the procession of Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Wednesday, September 14.
Her Majesty's flag-draped coffin moved in procession on a gun carriage. The unit has six 13-pounder quick-fire guns, built between 1913 and 1918.
The quick-fire guns have all been used in the First and Second World Wars, but are also used regularly for royal salutes in Hyde Park, Green Park or Windsor Great Park for state occasions and to mark royal anniversaries and royal birthdays.
It was King George VI’s wish that after the war a troop of Royal Horse Artillery, mounted and dressed in the traditional manner, should be formed to take part in the great ceremonies of state. On her accession, Queen Elizabeth II declared that the name The King’s Troop would remain in his honour.
The Royal Regiment of Artillery
The Royal Artillery provides firepower to the British Army and has been involved in nearly every battle and operation the Army has fought in its 300-year history.
It remains responsible for finding the enemy using a range of high-tech equipment, striking them using everything from explosive shells to advanced precision rockets.
Queen Elizabeth II became Captain General of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on February 6, 1952, when she acceded to the throne.
The Household Cavalry
The Household Cavalry is one of the oldest regiments in the British Army, dating back to 1660. It consists of the two most senior regiments in the British Army: The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons).
The two units are divided into The Household Cavalry Regiment, which conducts operational military roles, and The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, concerned mainly with ceremonial duties. The Household Cavalry has always served as The Sovereign’s personal bodyguard.
The Life Guards
Formed in 1660, the regiment was originally a group of loyal gentlemen who accompanied King Charles II to the continent during his exile (1652-59).
They formed themselves into a military bodyguard to protect the Sovereign, with eighty of them escorting His Majesty back to England at the Restoration in 1660.
The regiment has always remained the senior regiment of the British Army. The troops were re-organised in 1788 into the 1st and 2nd Regiments of Life Guards, and remained as such until 1922, when they were amalgamated into one regiment known as The Life Guards.
The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons)
The regiment was created in 1969 by the amalgamation of two famous cavalry regiments, the Royal Horse Guards and the Royal Dragoons.
The Royal Horse Guards (The Blues) were descended from a parliamentary regiment of horse, which King Charles II re-raised when founding the Regular British Army in 1661.
They were always known as The Blues due to the colour of their tunics. The regiment became a favourite of King George III and were promoted to Household Cavalry status in 1813.
Union to form The Household Cavalry
The Life Guards formed a union with The Blues and Royals in 1992 as part of an overall reduction in the size of the Army. The Household Cavalry consists of an operational armoured reconnaissance regiment, stationed in Windsor, as well as a ceremonial cavalry regiment stationed in Hyde Park.
Each regiment is staffed equally by soldiers of The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals. Many of the Household Cavalry personnel involved in the ceremonies this week have seen service in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, the Gulf (1991), Iraq and Afghanistan, as they alternate their service between the operational and ceremonial regiments.
The Grenadier Guards is one of the oldest and most iconic regiments in the British Army. They are the senior infantry regiment in the British Army and currently specialise in light infantry operations.
The regiment has partaken in almost every major campaign since the Second World War, including operations in Malaya, Northern Ireland, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Queen’s Company 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards is the senior company within the brigade of guards and the late Queen was the company commander.
The company will continue to be called ‘The Queen’s Company’ until the King orders a change of name. The company is responsible for protecting the body of the monarch in life and in death.
The Coldstream Guards
The Coldstream Guards are infantry soldiers and have fought in most of the major conflicts the British Army has been engaged in.
They specialise in light role operations including performing reconnaissance, operating machine guns and mortars, and engaging enemy troops on foot and in light vehicles.
Formed under the command of General George Monck, the Coldstream Guards has origins that date back to the English Civil War, but it was officially named The Coldstream Guards in 1855.
The Irish Guards
The Irish Guards are known affectionately throughout the Army as ‘the Micks’ and St Patrick’s Day is the traditional celebration of the Irish Guards.
Prince William is the Honorary Colonel of the Irish Guards. The regiment was raised by order of Queen Victoria in April 1900 in response to acts of gallantry by Irish units during the Boer War (1899-1902). It gained its first colours in May 1902 by King Edward VII.
The Scots Guards
The Scots Guards have a dual ceremonial and warfighting role due to being a Household Division regiment, allowing soldiers to serve in both the ceremonial role in F Company and within the battalion as a mechanised infantry soldier.
The regiment was formed in 1642 by Charles I to be his royal guard and to support the crown in Ireland. In 2021, the battalion was deployed around the country to provide mobile Covid-19 testing units as part of the pandemic response.
Fifty members of the battalion were also deployed to Manchester to help hospitals during staff shortages. Then in 2022, the battalion was deployed to Dover to support the government in processing migrants arriving in the UK via the English Channel.
The Welsh Guards
The Welsh Guards was formed during the peak of the First World War on February 26, 1915, by order of King George V.
The regiment saw some of the fiercest fighting during the First and Second World War. In 1982, the regiment formed part of the force sent to liberate the Falkland Islands following the invasion by Argentina.
In recent years, the battalion has served on operational tours in Bosnia, Northern Ireland, Iraq and three tours of Afghanistan. By Chanel Zagon, Telegraph
