The world’s most recognisable yet smallest army responsible for protecting the Pope
We’ve already seen the King pictured with guards wearing blue and yellow striped uniforms and red feathered hats this morning – but who are they?
The Swiss Guards, as they are known, are the world’s most recognisable yet smallest army, and their primary focus is to protect the Pope.
In fact, the guard has been providing protection for the head of the Catholic Church for centuries.
They were regularly seen around the Vatican during the funeral of Pope Francis and the conclave earlier this year, joining specialist Italian forces and the military in a huge security operation.
There are more than 130 Swiss Guards, but that figure has changed over the years.
27 new Swiss Guards were sworn in earlier this month before Pope Leo, who thanked them for their service.
Why are they called Swiss? Well, they’re drawn from Swiss citizens who are Catholic.
“It is a very important witness in today’s world,” he told those who had taken the oath.
“It shows us the value of discipline, of sacrifice, of living the faith in a way that truly speaks to young people – about the value of giving one’s life, of service, and thinking of others.
“I thank you in my name and on behalf of the entire Holy See for your service.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source news.sky.com ’
