Why do the British Queen's Guard and the Danish Royal Guard Company look so similar?

Upvote:1

The British grenadiers were awarded the wearing of a bearskin cap after defeating the French old guard at Waterloo.

Originally they didn't wear a bearskin cap, but a far less elaborate cap, called a mitre, that assisted their job, the throwing of hand grenades. That was a very dangerous job, which gave them elite status.

That mitre was quite different from the more common tricorn worn at the time, which made the throwing of hand grenades easier. When they were awarded a bearskin cap, throwing hand grenades had been abolished long before. (By that time, they no longer wore a mitre.)

So, the British grenadiers copied the French bearskin. Danish, Dutch and other grenadier units followed the French and later British examples. By then, it had become a military fashion item for guard regiments.

grenadier mitre Grenadier Mitre

Upvote:4

Both are historically grenadier units, wearing traditional uniforms.

At a time when the usual soldier headdress was a broad-rimmed hat, grenadiers were allowed to wear a brimless cap: The brim was impractical both when shouldering the musket to switch to grenades, as well as when actually throwing the grenade.

Covering the cap in bearskin started in France in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe from there.

(Source: de_WP: Grenadiermütze)

Red was a common color for uniforms. Red dye was cheapest, and camouflage was not a factor in the kind of warfare practiced at the time (regiments lining up and shooting volleys at each other).

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