OTTAWA — Just over a month after King Charles expressed his support for a "strong and free" Canada in a visit to Ottawa, Canadian soldiers are staffing the ceremonial mounted troop which guards the official entrance to Buckingham Palace in London.
The Edmonton-based Lord Strathcona's Horse regiment are in the British capital for 10 days of service, until July 21. It is only the third time a non-British unit will mount the King's Life Guard, and all three of those involved Canadians.
The Life Guard protects the Horse Guards building, which is the official entrance to both St. James's and Buckingham Palaces, as well as Windsor Castle and the Tower of London.
The 24 soldiers who form the mounted troop from the regiment have had to adjust to the larger horses used in London for the ceremonial guard.
The only other two times foreign units mounted the Life Guard were also Canadian, including in 2012 when the RCMP took on the role to mark Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee and in 2000 when the Lord Strathcona's Horse regiment did it to mark its 100th anniversary.
Canada's high commission in London wrote on the platform X that the arrangement is "a proud moment of Canadian nationhood and sovereignty, and a great example of Canada's enduring commitment to its allies."
King Charles authorized the regiment to serve the Life Guard.
In late May he travelled to Ottawa for his first visit as King, to deliver the throne speech in Parliament. He was invited by Prime Minister Mark Carney to read the speech — only the third time it has been read by Canada's reigning monarch — as Canada defends its sovereignty in the face of calls by U.S. President Donald Trump to become the 51st state.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2025.
Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
