- The high temperatures could be dangerous for healthy individuals, along with the soldiers and horses, taking part in the ceremonies.
- The Household Division explained that the King’s Life Guard, will change without ceremony on Wednesday and Friday to avoid heat stress to horses.
- Visitors may see soldiers standing in shaded areas and replaced more often than usual while on dut
Visitors hoping to watch one of Britain's most famous royal traditions will have to wait a little longer. The traditional Changing of the Guard ceremonies at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle have been suspended for the rest of the week as temperatures continue to rise to dangerous levels.
The decision was made by The Household Division, who are responsible for the ceremonial duties of the British Army. The move comes during a busy period for tourism, when large crowds typically gather outside the royal residences to watch the historic military tradition.
Officials decided after weather experts issued an extreme heat warning, saying the high temperatures could be dangerous for healthy individuals, along with the soldiers and horses, taking part in the ceremonies.
The Household Division stated, “We take the wellbeing of our soldiers and military working horses very seriously and like the rest of the country are aware of the forecasted excessive temperatures expected this week, including a RED alert towards the middle of the week.
“The Met Office and other Government agencies have issued detailed advice and recommend a reduction in travel and activities outside. To support this effort, and reduce risks to military personnel and horses as well as, importantly, to the public, who usually gather in large numbers to watch these events, this week will see some changes.”
Officials announced that there will be no ceremonial guard changes in London or Windsor “on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.” They explained that the King's Life Guard, “will change without ceremony on Wednesday and Friday to avoid heat stress to horses.”
They also added that visitors may see soldiers standing in shaded areas and replaced more often than usual while on duty. According to officials, this is a “normal practice” during hot weather.
While they understand that many tourists visit specifically to watch these famous ceremonies, they believe that protecting the health and safety of the public, guards and horses is the top priority during the heatwave.
The Changing of the Guard ceremony has been cancelled on a few occasions in the past. In 2017, the event was suspended after the bombing at Ariana Grande's concert in Manchester so that police officers and military personnel could be assigned to other duties. The ceremony was also paused for several months during the COVID 19 pandemic.
