Tudor livery of green and white There are only two contemporary records of the livery of the Yeomen of the Guard during Henry VII's reign. The first was written by a herald, who was present for the marriage of Prince Arthur to Catherine of Aragon in November 1501. Hewerdine quotes the herald's description: Hewerdine interprets this written description as referring to ''horsemen's coats''. These were close-fitting to the upper body, and expanded below the waist into a flared skirt to cover the thighs when the rider was on horseback. The second record is an illuminated border from the 1527 Treaty of Amiens. This is the earliest known illustration of the Bodyguard. Two yeomen are illustrated, wearing either a striped tunic or sleeveless jacket of green and white. The neckline is a gold band, and there is a gold crowned rose on the chest. One yeoman wears scarlet hose and a gold-coloured cap, whilst the other wears white hose and a black cap. (A photograph appears on page 60 of Hewerdine's thesis.) When members of the Guard were performing their duties as yeomen of the chamber, they were furnished with
watching clothing for their night-time watches around the king's chamber. The color was described either as russet cloth or tawny medley. Neither color has been identified with certainty. For royal funerals, the Guard wore black.
Scarlet and gold livery In common with other members of the King's household, the Guard wore scarlet for Henry VIII's coronation in 1509. Thereafter they resumed the traditional green and white livery, but periodically red was worn (most notably at the
Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520); and in June 1526 the colour appears to have been officially changed to red. From this time the Guard began on a regular basis to wear the scarlet and gold livery that is familiar today, albeit the styling varied over the years. Records survive from Henry VIII's reign regarding the special care and storage of the scarlet coats. In February 1528, two Yeomen of the Guard and four women were paid 6 shillings for two days work of brushing and airing out the coats. The coats were kept in large containers known as standards. The coat standards were not stored in one of the palaces or usual wardrobe buildings. They were kept at rented locations. As Henry VIII's court moved around, the coat standards would accompany their retinue train. In 1519, the Guard's Clerk of the Cheque received 3 shillings 8 pence to rent two carts to move the coat standards from Greenwich Palace to
Richmond Palace. The next July, the Clerk received 6 pounds 2 shillings for transportation of the coat standards from London to Calais and
Guisnes and then back to London. Another 6 shillings 8 pence was spent for renting accommodations to store the coats and the Guards' accoutrements while they were in Calais for Henry VII's meeting with Francis I of France.
Officers' ranks and today's uniform The senior officer is the
Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard, which is filled by the current
Deputy Chief Whip in the
House of Lords. Officers ranking below the Captain are Lieutenant, Clerk of the Cheque and Adjutant, Ensign or Standard Bearer, and the Exon. In common with other branches of the military, a standardised uniform for officers was not adopted until the 18th century. By the early 19th century the officers of the Bodyguard were wearing red
coatees, blue trousers and a cocked hat (much as they do today). In the 20th century it is described as a scarlet cloth double-breasted coatee with gold
epaulettes and dark blue collar and cuffs; the skirts turned back with white cloth. Nine buttons in each row down the front, and two on the skirts behind. The buttons have a rose, shamrock and thistle device, topped by a crown; and a rose, shamrock and thistle appear within the gold embroidery of the epaulettes, collar, cuff slashes, sword flaps and also on the skirts of the coatee. The trousers are blue, with a gold stripe, and the hat has a 'General's plume' of 11-inch white swan feathers with red feathers under.
Aiguillettes are worn by the Captain, the Lieutenant, the Clerk of the Cheque & Adjutant and the Ensign, but not by the Exon. A 'gold stick' (ebony, with a gold top) is carried by the captain, and 'silver sticks' by the other officers.
Differences between the Yeoman of the Guard and the Yeoman Warders The Yeomen of the Guard, the original "Beefeaters", are often confused with the
Yeomen Warders of His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, who are also known as "Beefeaters", a similar but distinct body. The Yeoman Warders wear their daily "undress" dark blue uniform and only on ceremonial occasions wear the Yeomen of the Guard's distinctive uniform that consists of a royal red tunic with purple facings and stripes and gold lace ornaments, red knee-breeches and red stockings, flat hat, and black shoes with red, white and blue rosettes. The gold-embroidered emblems on the back and front of the coats consist of the crowned
Tudor Rose, the
shamrock and the
thistle, the motto
Dieu et mon droit, and the
royal cypher of the reigning sovereign (currently CIIIR for "Carolus Rex"). The State Dress is sometimes worn without a white
ruff, which is reserved for highly official occasions. The item of uniform that distinguishes The Yeomen of the Guard from the Tower Warders is the red
cross-belt or
baldric, worn from the left shoulder. This is a relic from the time when the Guard, and not the Warders, carried the
harquebus. ==Standard==