Hans Majestet Kongens Garde Hans Majestet Kongens Garde ( HMKG ) ( lit . , His Majesty The King ' s Guard ; the Royal Guards ) is a battalion of the Norwegian Army . The battalion has two main roles ; it serves as the Norwegian King ' s bodyguards , guarding the royal residences ( the Royal Palace in Oslo , Bygdøy Kongsgård and Skaugum ) and Akershus Fortress in Oslo , and is also the main infantry unit responsible for the defence of Oslo . The HMKG is located in Huseby leir in Oslo . Huseby leir is located on the old Oslo farm Nordre Huseby gård ( Northern Huseby farm ) , which was acquired by the Norwegian government in the late 19th century . History of the Guard . The first all - Norwegian unit of the royal guard of Sweden and Norway were a 38 - man strong squadron of despatch rider s from the Agerhusiske ridende Jægercorpses gevorbne Escadron , and its main function was to go as messengers between Stockholm and Christiania . By 1856 this service was obsolete , and the king decided to form a new Norwegian infantry company to be part of the guard . The Norwegian guards company was formally formed from members of the Norwegian Corps of Jäger , mainly from Stjørdal , on November 8 . 1856 by King Oscar I , in order to underline his status as king of both Norway and Sweden . The company moved from Stockholm to Kristiania in 1888 , where , in addition to its guards duties , it served as a trials unit . On Norway ' s independence in 1905 , the company became the new guards unit for the King of Norway , Haakon VII and was increased to battalion size . The battalion served with distinction during the Second World War , where it prevented the Wehrmacht from capturing the Royal Family and the Cabinet at the Midtskogen Gård on 10 April . This gave the Guards its first battle honour . Later in the campaign , the Guards fought with distinction on Dovrefjell and at Lundehøgda , near Lillehammer , winning their third battle honour . During the campaign in central Norway they were known among the German soldiers who fought them as " die schwarzen teufel " or " the black devils " , due to their ferocity and dark uniforms . Military organization . The HMKG is organized as a light infantry battalion of seven companies : Each of the rifle companies takes turns in carrying out guard duty at the royal residences in between other duties . The majority of Guardsmen are National Servicemen who are posted to the regiment after their basic training . On arriving at the battalion from basic training , they spend their first five weeks in ceaseless drill practice , hand - to - hand fighting , physical training , close range firing and case solving exercises before they are allowed to perform their first duties outside the royal palace or around the Royal Family ' s country residence . In addition the guards practice specialized operations within their platoons , and whenever a company becomes the oldest unit within the battalion ( longest period of conscription ) , the company enters service as gardestridsgruppe ( guard battle group ) , GSG , with a 72 - hour emergency response time . The mission of the GSG is classified , but it was used during the 22 . July attacks on Oslo in 2011 . The changing of the guard ceremony in front of The Palace takes place at 1330 – 1400 hours every day and is a popular event with tourists and the people of Oslo alike . The dark blue dress uniforms have remained virtually unchanged throughout the regiment ' s existence . One noteworthy detail of the uniform is the plumed bowler hat , which was copied from the hat of the Italian Bersaglieri troops — a regiment that so impressed the Swedish princess Louise ( the great grandmother of HM King Harald V ) that she insisted the Norwegian guards be similarly hatted in 1860 . The regiment ' s cap badge is a rosette in the royal colours of Norway , with the monogram of the current monarch . In addition to performing guard duty , the Guards is also on parade whenever important state events take place in the capital . These include the annual opening of parliament by HM the King , visits by foreign heads of state , or anniversaries of major events in the history of the nation . Nils Olav . The regiment ' s official mascot is a King Penguin named Nils Olav , a resident of Edinburgh Zoo . The first penguin was adopted during the regiment ' s first participation in the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 1961 and was given the rank of visekorporal ( lance corporal ) . Nils Olav was promoted each time the King ' s Guard has returned to the Tattoo . In 1982 he was made corporal and was promoted to sergeant in 1987 . Nils Olav died shortly after his promotion to sergeant , and his place of honour was taken by Nils Olav II , his two - year - old near - double . He was promoted in 1993 to the rank of regimental sergeant major . On August 18 , 2005 , he was promoted to Colonel - in - Chief . Nils Olav was the first penguin to hold this rank in the Norwegian army . He was also awarded the Norwegian Army ' s Long Service and Good Conduct medal on that date . The current mascot is Nils Olav II , who on 15 August 2008 was knighted at a ceremony outside the zoo ' s penguin enclosure by British Major General Euan Loudon acting on behalf of Norway ' s King Harald V . Reuters reported that a detachment of the King ' s Guard in full dress uniform was reviewed by the penguin , who wore his new insignia on a badge strapped to one flipper .