Capturing a New Chapter: The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment

Major, The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (Military Portrait Photographer London, New York & Los Angeles Rory Lewis)

In June 2021, I had the privilege of returning to Hyde Park Barracks to photograph the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR). Having first captured portraits of this elite unit in 2016, it was an honour to revisit and document a new chapter in their story — this time including some of the first female soldiers to serve in the Regiment.

The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment is perhaps the most famous mounted unit in the world. Tasked primarily with ceremonial duties, they represent centuries of tradition as part of the Household Division, serving as the Monarch’s official bodyguard and providing escorts at state and royal occasions.

A Regiment of Tradition and Change

The HCMR traces its history back to 1945, when The Life Guards and The Royal Horse Guards each formed mounted squadrons in London. These later became grouped as the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, which since 1795 has been based in Knightsbridge, just a short ride from Buckingham Palace. Today, the regiment consists of sabre squadrons from both the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals, supported by a Headquarters Squadron and the Household Cavalry Training Wing.

From the daily King’s Life Guard at Horse Guards Parade to the Sovereign’s Escort at Trooping the Colour, the HCMR continues to carry out ceremonial duties that are not only iconic but central to the image of the British monarchy. Their presence has marked many of the most important state events of our time, from Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral cortege to the coronation of King Charles III.

Lance Corporal of Horse, The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (Military Portrait Photographer London, New York & Los Angeles Rory Lewis)

Trooper, The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (Military Portrait Photographer London, New York & Los Angeles Rory Lewis)

Trooper, The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (Military Portrait Photographer London, New York & Los Angeles Rory Lewis)

Lance Corporal of Horse, The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (Military Portrait Photographer London, New York & Los Angeles Rory Lewis)

Documenting the First Female Soldiers

My 2021 visit was particularly significant. For the first time, women had begun to serve in the Regiment — a milestone in the Household Cavalry’s long and storied history. To capture these pioneering soldiers alongside their male counterparts was to witness tradition evolving before my very eyes. These portraits record not just uniform and ceremony, but the living, changing face of the British Army.

As an artist, it is moments like this — when history, heritage, and human progress intersect — that give portraiture its true power. The camera becomes both witness and archive, preserving for future generations the faces of those who stand at the heart of Britain’s ceremonial life.