page_title: Public duties
section_title: United Kingdom
hierarchical_section_title: Public duties / United Kingdom
caption_attribution_description: Guards posted outside the front entrance to the Palace of Holyroodhouse when the Queen is in residence.
context_page_description: Public duties are performed by military personnel, and usually have a ceremonial or historic significance rather than an overtly operational role.
context_section_description: The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery three infantry battalions, incremental companies of the Foot Guards and Balaklava Company, 5 SCOTS (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) of the British Army are currently tasked with the provision of Public Duties. Two of these are from the Foot Guards of the Household Division, and two are an infantry battalion. The former are normally based at Wellington Barracks in central London, within a short distance of Buckingham Palace, and at Victoria Barracks in Windsor Castle, while the latter is at the Cavalry Barracks, Hounslow.
  Apart from providing the Queen's Guard at Buckingham Palace and St James's Palace, and the Tower of London Guard, the Public Duties battalions also provide the Windsor Castle Guard, which is otherwise provided by the battalion based at Windsor. From 1783 to 1973, the Guards provided a nightly detachment called the Bank Picquet for guard duty at the Bank of England.
  Public duties are also carried out in Edinburgh, although not as frequently as in London. Prior to 2002, sentries were permanently stationed at the entrance to Edinburgh Castle, but these were withdrawn due to cost-cutting measures. Today, sentries are posted during the evenings between 6 pm and 9 am, and throughout the week that the monarch spends in Edinburgh at both the castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Sentries are also posted at the castle during the month of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo prior to each performance, with the regiment forming a guard of honour at the end of each performance.
  Public duties are performed by Balaklava Company of the Royal Regiment of Scotland a single incremental company to be based permanently in Scotland for public duties.
caption: Sentry duties are taken up in Holyrood Castle when the monarch is in Scotland.
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