Horse Guards

American  

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. a body of cavalry serving as a guard.

2. a cavalry brigade from the household troops of the British monarch.

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Horse Guards British  

plural noun

1. the cavalry regiment that, together with the Life Guards, comprises the cavalry part of the British sovereign's Household Brigade

2. their headquarters in Whitehall, London: also the headquarters of the British Army

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Etymology

Origin of Horse Guards

First recorded in 1635–45

Example Sentences

During frequent spells of leave from his fashionable regiment, the Royal Horse Guards, he earned celebrity as an intrepid traveler and balloonist, and wrote bestselling accounts of his adventures.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 1, 2025

The royal couple rode in a carriage at the front of the military procession along the Mall and into Horse Guards Parade where hundreds of guardsmen were on parade.

From BBC • Jun. 14, 2025

The Trooping the Colour ceremony includes an inspection of troops on Horse Guards and the parade along the Mall.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2025

Hundreds of foot guards, horse guards and members of military bands will participate in the spectacle at central London’s Horse Guards and along The Mall, the promenade outside Buckingham Palace.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 5, 2024

He was educated at Eton and at Christ Church, Oxford, and entered the Royal Horse Guards, in which regiment he served in the Peninsular War, and was present at the battle of Waterloo. 

From Norfolk Annals A Chronological Record of Remarkable Events in the Nineteeth Century, Vol. 2 by Mackie, Charles