Charles III is crowned king today in Britain’s largest ceremonial event in seven decades. King Charles became monarch of the United Kingdom and 14 other realms following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, last September. Thousands are expected to line the streets and millions will watch at home and around the world.
For the historic outing, His Majesty will be accompanied by a security team, which he inherited from his mother. One member of the team in particular has received a lot of attention on social media. The bearded bodyguard, who has not been officially named, was first seen around the time of the Queen’s death on September 8, 2022, according to a Subway report.
A moment of appreciation for the super cool Whitebeard bodyguard of King Charles we’ve come to know through the media these days. pic.twitter.com/TLDAHiletd
— Nacho Morais😷💉🇪🇸🇬🇧🇪🇺🇺🇦 (@N4CM) September 18, 2022
Last year, the guard was seen pushing down the phone of a woman who was filming the king. There were also multiple occasions where the officer told members of the public to ‘put’ [their] phones down” and ‘enjoy the moment.”
Since then, the guard has accompanied the monarch on several of his social engagements. Lately there have also been a lot of videos of him walking in and out of Buckingham Palace with a nice umbrella on TikTok.
King Charles’ personal bodyguard is back 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/LGlmtn96ZE
— UB1UB2 SOUTH (@UB1UB2) May 6, 2023
Many have compared him to Colin Firth’s character from Harry Hart king man, and refer to his umbrella as a “gunbrella,” after suspecting he had a gun “disguised” as an umbrella. While many believe him to be a Secret Service man, some complimented his good looks and slick looks.
5. King Charles III
The royal bodyguard, known for their spectacular marching feats, red uniforms, black helmets and steadfast guard duty, is their most visible and famous line of defense, but in reality these men are ready to take on any challenge pic.twitter.com/uI7cFLJm5m— STOIC (@Outofcontextpo9) September 26, 2022
One user wrote: ”I love him, he must be the next James Bond… such a great guy.” Another commented: ”He’s so handsome! Full lord.” A third wrote, “Does he offer beard maintenance tips?”
Meanwhile, the security of the massive event is tightly controlled. A record 11,500 police officers will guard the coronation, according to a report from The subway. Security forces have spent months preparing for the event, which will see around 100 heads of state and large crowds of spectators.