Because this is their post to patrol. This is their space and they are trained to protect it and the Queen and ultimately the palace or castle they are on duty at. This does not mean go around the public, but walk through the public if they get in their way.
What happens if a queens guard needs the toilet? If a Queen's Guard needs the toilet, they must leave the area to use it. Royal Protocol does not allow for Guards to take toilet breaks while still on duty. Their primary role is to protect the Royal Family, so any request for a break is out of the question.
Laughing can be seen as a sign of disrespect or lack of focus and can be interpreted as a sign that the guard is not taking their job seriously. As a result, royal guards can lose their positions for laughing on duty, or face other serious repercussions.
Royal guards are standing to protect the queen on rotational shifts round the clock. These are broken up into four different six-hour shifts for each soldier, 24 hours a day until the queen's funeral on Monday. Within these six-hour shifts, the guards swap over from standing on the catafalque every 20 minutes.
Guards are not generally allowed to talk to the general public, but in certain circumstances, such as when people obstruct them, they can shout a warning to get them to move.
The King's Guard has strict rules to abide by, including not speaking or smiling while on duty, but a British travel blog notes that the men are permitted to warn rule-breaking tourists. “One should never touch a member of the Queen's Guard,” according to Londontopia.
The animals can bite or lash out unexpectedly. A tourist flouted that rule and came closer to take a photo, prompting her to be scolded by a soldier: "Stay away from the Queen's Guard , don't touch the reins!"
'Standing easy' is not permitted whilst a sentry is at their post. Orders for sentry duty read out before each two-hour 'tour of duty', make it clear that sentries "may not eat, sleep, smoke, stand easy, sit or lie down during [their] tour of duty".
The Guard's intimidating weapons only have ammo in them when they are aware of a potential serious security threat. The guard on Reddit, who uses the username "nibs123," says that he has never carried a loaded gun as a Guardsman.
They've chatted with Queen Elizabeth II
While the Reddit guard admits that the novelty of meeting important people does tend to wear off, he still remembers his first meeting with Her Majesty. “When I was on guard at Windsor Castle, she came up to me with her husband and the dogs and asked me some questions.
Never touch a guard
As London aficionados know by now, one should never touch a member of the Queen's Guard. If this is the case, they are actually allowed to shout warnings at you to make you go away. If people start acting aggressively, the soldiers can even present their bayonets to them.
No Toilet Break for the Dedicated Soldiers
The Queen's guards are so dedicated to their position that they can't even leave their post for a toilet break during their working shift.
Traditionally the Queen's Guards are not allowed to move. Typically, a Guardsman spends two hours on duty and four off. He is not expected to stand still for any more than ten minutes at a time. Every so often, he will march up and down in front of his sentry box, rather like a policeman "walking the beat".
The soldiers come from active regiments in the British Army, and any action deemed threatening, regardless of how minor, can cause them to react forcefully.
In this role, their primary function is the protection duty for the royal residence. They stand guard outside the palace in order to protect the royal residents from any harm. Although the role has evolved into mostly a ceremonial one, almost a tourist attraction, these guards are still first and foremost soldiers.
The Windsor Castle guards are an all-female security force that is responsible for the safety of the royal residence and its visitors. The guards are highly trained and armed with a variety of weapons, including handguns, pepper spray, and Tasers.
The first black man to join an elite regiment that guarded the late Queen says writing a book about his experiences was "a coping mechanism" for the racism he faced. Bristolian Richard Stokes joined the Grenadier Guards in 1986 after encouragement from his adoptive father.
Changing of The King's Guard takes place in front of Buckingham Palace at 10:45am and lasts for about 45 minutes. You should arrive early to get the best view. Soldiers gather at St James's Palace and Wellington Barracks from 10:00am and march to Buckingham Palace accompanied by music.
Despite the strict regulations, the Royal Guardsmen earn an average of $36,020 per year. Queen's Guard members are not required to be members of the military, but they must uphold the monarchy's traditions in order to do so in this highly regarded role.
It's reported that the decision to wear the chained strap for these headpieces under the lip comes from when soldiers actually fought while wearing them. If a soldier was shot, the heavy hat could fall backwards and cause the soldier's neck to break if they were wearing a chin strap.
Soldiers in ceremonial uniform were maintaining a constant, 24-hour vigil around the Queen's coffin at Westminster Hall. While the soldiers were permitted to rotate position every 20 minutes, they were ordered to stand completely still around the four corners of the coffin for six hours a shift.
As some of the best soldiers in the British Army guardsmen have fought in virtually every major area of conflict with great distinction since the 17th Century. The guards do not just perform ceremonial duties at Buckingham Palace, they also take an active role in protecting their Sovereign.
If you continue to interfere with his duties, he will “port arms” – point his rifle/bayonet at you. If you are one of those people that never get the message, he will detain you or press the button in his sentry box for assistance.
Even now, royal guards protecting the Queen use swords with the same name, but they are the same in name only. This particular sword forces its wielder to fight even to the death to protect whomever he has sworn to protect. It also grants the power to accomplish this task.
Surrounding the six Gentlemen at Arms were four members of the Bodyguard the Yeomen of the Guard. Every 20 minutes the replacement Gentlemen and Yeomen take their place before their predecessors depart.