In the days before and after the Royal Wedding, the Royal Danish Life Guards will establish Kongevagt (the King’s Guard) at Amalienborg Palace and at Fredensborg Palace. At Amalienborg Palace, the guards will be called out to line up when the newly married couple appear on the balcony, and the Band of the Royal Danish Life Guards will play in the palace square. In the evening at the wedding banquet at Fredensborg Palace, a guard of honour will play and the Band of the Royal Life Guards will entertain during the banquet. In Copenhagen along the route of the horse carriage ride, the Guards Associations will be present with a large number of regimental colours.

Guard full-dress uniform
On the occasion of the Royal Wedding, the Royal Danish Life Guards will wear the red full-dress uniform, which is only used for special events. The crimson colour of the uniform may be dated back to about 1660 as a characteristic of the Life Guards. In connection with ordinary guard duty for the Royal House, the Life Guards are dressed in a dark blue uniform, which was introduced as field uniform in 1848. The bearskin with the Life Guards’ Sun and the Royal Coat of Arms was introduced in 1805. The Life Guards carry the Danish army standard rifle M/95 as well as the more symbolic gardersabel (Guards sabre), which is part of the spoils from the First Schleswig War 1848-1850 and originally a French infantry sabre. The gala colours with the Royal Coat of Arms were presented to the Life Guards in 1847. In 1974, HM The Queen presented the colours carrying the Queen’s Monogram to the Life Guards.

History
King Frederik III established the Royal Danish Life Guards on 30 June 1658. The tasks of the Life Guards were to protect King Frederik III as head of state and to act as a regiment of combat troops. The regiment has performed these tasks since then. The present regiment was originally the Royal Danish Foot Life Guards as Denmark also commanded the Royal Danish Mounted Life Guards from 1661 to 1866. In addition to the Life Guards’ barracks at Rosenborg and Høvelte, the Life Guards have guardrooms etc at their disposal at the palaces. The motto of the Life Guard is ”Pro Rege et Grege” (For King and People).
The organisation of the Royal Danish Life Guards has changed over the years. In recent years, the international involvement of the Life Guards has become an altogether key part of the regiment’s life. Thus, the Life Guards remain both a regiment of combat troops in line with other regiments and a regiment that performs guard and ceremonial tasks for the Royal House.

The Royal House
The Royal Danish Life Guards have a close connection with the Royal House as they guard the Royal Castles and Palaces and are present on ceremonial occasions. This includes the provision of music by the Band of the Royal Danish Life Guards and the Corps of Drums. Over the years, several members of the Royal House have served with the Life Guards. Most recently, Crown Prince carried the badge of Life Guards on his beret for about one and a half years of the time he served in the Danish Defence 1986-88. Throughout the years, thousands of young people from all over Denmark have carried the Royal Monogram on their uniforms and guarded the Monarch.

The changing of the colours in connection with the changing of the guard at Amalienborg Palace takes place exclusively for HM The Queen, and the duty officers of the Life Guards sign in and out in the guardroom of the Residential Palace. The officer corps also attends HM The Queen’s New Year levee.

Amalienborg Palace is always guarded. In connection with Kongevagt and Løjtnantsvagt (the Lieutenant Guard), the Guard Parade is formed with the Band of the Royal Danish Life Guards, the Corps of Drums and the guard unit at Rosenborg Eksercerplads (drill ground). The Guard Parade will subsequently march through Copenhagen to Amalienborg Palace. The changing of the guard takes place depending on where there is Residence: at Amalienborg Palace, Fredensborg Palace, Marselisborg Palace and Gråsten Palace as well as at Christiansborg Palace in connection with State Councils, audiences, Royal banquets etc. On the occasion of state visits, the Band of the Royal Danish Life Guards, the Corps of Drums and a guard of honour will represent the Life Guards.