| Unit Name: | Household Division |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Branch: | British Army |
| Type: | Regular |
| Role: | Major General Commanding The Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District |
| Command Structure: | London District |
| Current Commander: | King Charles III |
| Commander1 Label: | Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiments of the Household Division |
| Ceremonial Chief: | Major General James Bowder OBE |
| Commander2 Label: | Major-General Commanding the Household Division |
| Commander3: | Colonel Guy Stone LVO |
| Commander3 Label: | Deputy Commander, Household Division |
| Commander4: | Lieutenant Colonel James Shaw LVO |
| Commander4 Label: | Brigade Major, Household Division |
| Commander5: | Warrant Officer Class 1, Andrew 'Vern' Stokes OBE, MVO |
| Commander5 Label: | Garrison Sergeant Major |
| Motto: | Latin: Septem juncta in uno|lit=Seven joined in one |
The Household Division forms a part of the British Army's London District and is made up of five regiments of foot guards and two Household Cavalry regiments. The division is responsible for performing public duties and state ceremonies in London and Windsor. Such functions include the State Opening of Parliament, Trooping the Colour, and mounting the King's Guard.
In the United Kingdom, the Household Division consists of seven regiments, giving rise to the division's motto of Septem juncta in uno (Latin for 'seven joined in one'). The Household Division is made up of the Household Cavalry, which includes The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals, as well as five regiments of foot guards – the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards and Welsh Guards. The Household Division also includes the following incremental companies: Nijmegen Company – Grenadier Guards, No 7 Company – Coldstream Guards, F Company – Scots Guards, Numbers 9 and 12 Company – Irish Guards.[1] The Household Division is commanded by the Major-General commanding the Household Division who is also General Officer Commanding London District.[2]
The Household Division was once responsible for mounting the guard to several institutions in London. In 1819, the Household Division maintained ten separate guard mountings for 89 sentry posts. These include the Armoury Guard, the British Museum Guard, the Kensington Palace Guard, the King's Guard, the Magazine Guard, the Military Asylum Guard, the Savoy Prison Guard, the Tylt Guards, and the York Hospital Guard. In addition, the Household Division also provided night guards for the Bank of England, Covent Garden Opera House, and Drury Lane. However, the Household Division's commitment to most of these postings, besides the King's Guard, ceased at the end of the 19th century.[3] From 1950 to 1968, the Household Division was known as the Household Brigade.[4]
Several other military units of the Commonwealth of Nations perform a similar function to the British Army's Household Division.
In 2000, the Australian Defence Force established the Australia's Federation Guard, creating the first ceremonial unit in the force's history for the commemoration of the centenary of Australian federation. The unit performs ceremonial functions on the Australian government's behalf, like forming a guard of honour, and guarding members of the royal family.[5]
See also: Monarchy of Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces. In Canada, the two regiments of foot guards, the Governor General's Foot Guards and the Canadian Grenadier Guards, are responsible for mounting the guard at Rideau Hall, the residence of the monarch and governor general in Ottawa, and the Trooping of the Colour at Parliament Hill in Ottawa.[6]
The President's Bodyguard is the successor to the Governor General's Bodyguard, which was established in 1773 as the Governor's Troop of Moghuls. Its primary role is to escort and protect the President of India.[7]
The Malaysian Army's Malaysian Royal Armoured Corps Mounted Ceremonial Squadron escorts and protects the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Raja Permasuri Agong (King and Queen of Malaysia) and mounts the guard at Istana Negara, which is the royal palace in Kuala Lumpur.[8] The Royal Malay Regiment typically mounts guards of honour for the royal family and visiting dignatories.[9]