ORION COSTUMES Men's Beefeater Royal Palace Guard British Fancy Dress Costume

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On 1 July 2007, Moira Cameron became the first female Yeoman Warder. [22] In 2009, three male warders were suspended, accused of bullying Cameron; two were dismissed and one was re-instated following the month-long investigation. [23]

All services are based on working days. Weekends, Bank Holidays and other closed days are not counted.Queen Elizabeth’s cypher has continued to adorn the uniforms of the Warders, better known as Beefeaters, at the Tower of London despite the late monarch’s death in September 2022. The guards at the Tower of London are called Yeoman Warders. In principle they are responsible for looking after any prisoners at the Tower and safeguarding the British crown jewels, but in practice they act as tour guides and are a tourist attraction in their own right. There are twelve Yeomen Warders.

The Warders are purportedly the oldest military unit in the world, which is still performing the same purpose it was initially founded for. Although the Yeomen Warders are often referred to as Yeomen of the Guard, a distinct corps of Royal Bodyguards of the British monarch, the Yeomen Warders are in fact a separate entity. Main article: Ravens of the Tower of London Chris Skaife – the present Ravenmaster in front of the Traitors' Gate A review had considered the possibility of recycling the current uniforms and simply replacing the cypher with the new one, but this idea has now been rejected. Yeoman Warders will receive new uniforms emblazoned with the cypher of King Charles III after it was hoped the current outfits could be recycled to save money.The State dress uniforms of Yeomen of the Guard are almost identical to those of the Yeomen Warders, but the Yeomen of the Guard can be distinguished by their cross belts worn from the left shoulder. The Yeomen Warders normally wear an "undress" uniform of dark blue with red trimmings. For senior warders from serjeant up, the upper edges of the "undress" uniform's red collar and cuffs are trimmed with gold braid. When the sovereign visits the Tower, or the warders are on duty at a state occasion, they wear red and gold uniforms similar to those of the Yeomen of the Guard. These uniforms are referred to by the Yeoman Warders as the Tudor State Dress. In 2018, there were 37 Yeomen Warders and one Chief Warder. [16] At one time, they were primarily guards but more recently, their role is mainly ceremonial; they have become greeters and guides for visitors, as part of their 21 duties. [17] [18] Benusis, Jota (1998). Broth Handbook (3rded.). Rapid City, South Dakota: Travis Russell & Associates. p.46. The name Beefeaters is often thought to come from the French word - 'buffetier'. (Buffetiers were guards in the palace of French kings. They protected the king's food.) However, the name Beefeater is more likely to have originated from the time when the Yeomen Warders at the Tower were paid part of their salary with chunks of beef. This took place right up until the 1800s.

The original Tudor guard was split into two categories: the ordinary (i.e., permanent) guard and the additional troops of the extraordinary. In 1550, for example, the ordinary mustered 105 men, with an additional 300 extraordinary yeomen. Until 1549, the guards at the Tower were numbered among the extraordinary but in that year were raised to the status of ordinary yeomen. There was a considerable wage difference between the two groups. In 1562, a yeoman of the ordinary received 16d per day, whereas an extraordinary yeoman was paid the same as a common infantryman (4d or 6d). In 1551, the ordinary was expanded to 200 men, of whom 100 were to be archers and 100 halberdiers, but these numbers were not maintained. Uniform at this time was a velvet coat trimmed with silver gilt, worn over armour. [14] All warders are retired from the British Armed Forces and must be former warrant officers with at least 22 years of service. They must also hold the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. [1] The garrison consists of 32 (formerly 37) Yeomen Warders and one Chief Warder. [2] [3] [4] A Yeoman Warder in his newly produced dress showing Charles III's Cypher. Photographed at the gates of The Tower of London 24th April 2023

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The Yeomen of the Guard were formed in 1485 by King Henry VII. After his victory at the Battle of Bosworth, he gathered a group of soldiers together to become his personal bodyguard together and they accompanied him wherever he went as his nearest guard. Officials wanted to ensure the uniforms of the Beefeaters were updated in time for the coronation and The Telegraph understands that all cyphers at the Tower of London, including at the sentry posts outside the Jewel House and the King’s House, have been updated, with the Yeoman Warder uniforms the last to change to that of King Charles III. New era for the Tower of London with new Chief Yeoman Warder and Yeoman Gaoler appointed". Forces Net . Retrieved 4 August 2023. The initials ER on the their uniforms stand for Elizabetha Regina (Regina is latin for queen). The initials refer to Elizabeth the Second, who is the present Queen As of July 2023, the Chief Yeoman Warder is former Royal Navy serviceman Rob Fuller and the Yeoman Gaoler is Clive Towell a former British Army Sergeant Major. [26] Uniforms [ edit ] Yeoman Warder wearing a cloak with red collar and red inner lining

The Tower Warders are featured in an 1888 Savoy Opera written by Gilbert and Sullivan. The Yeomen of the Guard is set in the Tower of London during the 16th century, before the two corps were split apart; it concerns what are today the Yeomen Warders. [37] See also [ edit ]

a b c "Why the Tower of London has a ravenmaster — a man charged with keeping at least six ravens at the castle at all times". National Post. Toronto. 30 September 2018 . Retrieved 1 October 2018. beefˌeater, n.". OED Online. Oxford University Press. March 2016. The conjecture that sense 2 may have had some different origin, e.g. < buffet 'sideboard,' is historically baseless. No such form of the word as *buffetier exists; and beaufet, which has been cited as a phonetic link between buffet and beefeater, is merely an 18th century bad spelling, not so old as beef-eater. Differences between the Yeoman Warders and the Yeoman of the Guard [ edit ] Yeoman Warders wearing their Tudor State Dress in the Coronation Procession of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, 6 May 2023. Comment: Great costumes, excellent quality. Had such fun wearing my Queen of Hearts dress as did my partner the Mad Hatter. Great staff as well, thank you so much.