Norway
In the state capitol, Oslo, His Majesty the King's Guard keeps The Royal Palace and the Royal Family guarded for 24 hours a day. Every day at 1330 hrs, there is a Change of Guards outside the Palace, and the ceremony itself, which consists of two parts, lasts for approximately 40 minutes. Otherwise, the guards work in shift of two hours. The Guards are also stationed at Akershus Fortress, where the Change of Guards also happens at 1330 hrs. They are also guarding the residence of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, and their own camp, Gardeleiren, outside Oslo. The two latter duties are considered "green watches", where the guards wear battle uniform, an olive and green uniform featuring a short jacket, shirt and tie and the guard's unique forage cap. The famous parade uniform dating from 1860, which consists of a wide brimmed hat with black plume, dark blue tunic and trousers with white stripes, is worn on the more prestigious palace and fortress watches. Usually, during the summertime, there are Guard Parades, where the New Guard marches from Akershus Fortress accompanied by a band, through Oslo's parade street, Karl Johan’s Gate.
His Majesty the King's Guard is organized as a battalion, with a Lieutenant Colonel as chief. The battalion has 6 companies. Each company consists of approximately 200 guards, and has its own field of specialization.
- The 1st Company is a rifle company.
- The 2nd Company is a rifle company.
- The 3rd Company is a music and drill company only, and does actually not guard anything, due to the many arrangements and long training periods they have to attend.
- The 4th Company is a rifle company.
- The 5th Company is a staff and support company which has many important duties, such as transport and medical service inside the guard’s camp.
- The 6th Company is the Guards recruit school.
- The 7th Company is the Guards Officer Candidate School.
His Majesty the King's Guard consists of people who are serving their compulsory military service, but also women who volunteer to join the Guards. The Guards are one of the Norwegian Army's best trained units; this means they operate with the normal "green" service, where they train for worst case scenarios.
Read more about this topic: Guard Mounting
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—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)