The Royal Guard

The eliete soldiers of the King's Army, the Royal Guard are assigned to the palace and tasked with the protection of the royal family and any visiting royalty.

Appointment

The commanding officers of the royal guard are traditionally appointed by the next King in the days leading up to their coronation, and those commanders appoint additional guards to fill out the ranks of the detail as needed.
The King is able to add any person they choose to the ranks of the Royal Guard, or to remove anyone they feel, for any reason, is not fit to sereve in the Royal Guard.
The Queen's Protector
It is the Queen's right to appoint someone to serve as Queen's Protector, who is tasked with defending the Queen's honor, and is traditionally selected from the ranks of the Royal Guard.

Lodging

The Royal Guard lives in a barracks located within the walls of the palace grounds that has its own stables and training grounds.

Divisions

Royal Guards The Royal Guards oversee the security of the palace and any locations where the king, or a member of the royal family, will attend an event. Their job is to protect the royal family and any visiting royals.
The King's Escort These are the eliete of the Royal Guard that accompany the King when he travels, whether within the kingdom or abroad. It is their duty to protect the King at all costs. It is traditional for there to be eighteen men in the King's Escort, with six men on guard in close proximity to the King at all times.
The Queen's Escort Similar to the King's Escort, but tasked with the protection of the Queen and her children when she travels. It is traditional for there to be enough men in the Queen's Escorrt for there to be four guards in close proximity to the Queen, and two additional guards for each child, at all times.
Royal Envoy A title that is bestowed to guards that have proven to have specialized skill in diplomatic situations. The Royal Envoy are sent ahead to scout areas and make any neccessary preparations for the arrival of the King or his family. It is their job to identify possible threats and either secure the area or declare it unsafe for the royal family to visit.
Royal Spy Once an eliete group within the Royal Guard, the role of Royal Spy is no longer officially recognized. It was once the job of the Royal Spies to gather information for the Royal Guards, but the role was officially dissolved by the crown in an effort to make lasting peace with the other kingdoms.
The King's Horsemen Skilled riders that escort the Royal Carriage or ride out with the King or any member of the Royal Family that leaves the Palace on horseback. The King's Horsemen are expert equestians that are trained in mounted combat and equine endurance racing. Before a guard is selected as a King's Horseman, they must prove their ability by running a relay race along the Northern Trade Road from the Crown City to Northgate Keep and back. At each checkpoint the rider and their horse is examined to assure that the rider has paid as much attention to the proper care of their horse as they have to the need for speed, and that the rider is able to arrive back at the palace in a condition that allows them to immediately engage in both mounted and unmounted combat.

Uniform

The basic uniform for the Royal Guard is a black square-cut coat, bearing decorative black braiding with twin rows of gold buttons embossed with the royal crest. The pants are tucked into knee-height black leather boots that have decorative lacing up the sides.
Each division has slight changes to the basic uniform to suit the specialised needs of the unit, while maintaining an overall recognizable design. For example the pants of the King's Horsemen have leather reinforcing for the extended time spent in saddles, the uniforms of the Palace Guards is made from a lighter cloth than the uniforms of those that travel, special chainmail and scale mail is worn by those that are expected to engage in combat, and the sword belts have slightly differnt designs based on if the swords are to be worn while riding, in carriages, or when standing guard.
Each guard has a cloak with a detachable hooded shoulder cape that bears an embroidery of the royal seal and the guard's rank on the left shoulder. The royal seal and rank insignia are also embroidered onto the tunic, or tooled into the left pauldron if one is worn.
In addition to the more utilitarian alterations that sepatate the divisions, the King's Escort and the Queen's Escort each have additional decorative design elements to signify their status as direct protectors responsible for the safety of the royal family.

Retirement

Those that do not die in the line of duty, often retire to quiet lives in the country. It is not uncommon, however, for the merchants of the Crown City to employ former royal guardsmen as personal seciurity or for men that have serves as royal guardsmen to enter the King's Army to continue service to the crown.
Those that have been dishonorably discharged from the Royal Guard will often turn to the underworld and join thieves guilds, or other organizations, where their specialized skills are in high demand by those that work outside of the kingdon's laws.

Type

Security

Overall training Level

Elite

Assumed Veterancy

Decorated/Honored