Horse Guards (building)

The Horse Guards building stands as a centuries old sentinel in the heart of London. King Charles the Second commissioned the original structure on this site in sixteen sixty-three to secure the main entrance to his palace. The current building you see today replaced that initial version during the mid-eighteenth century. It was designed in a grand style to house the elite soldiers responsible for protecting the monarchy. For over a hundred years, this was the primary military headquarters for the entire British Empire. Even today, it remains a working military site where the King's Life Guard continues a tradition of ceremonial protection that has persisted for generations.