FIRST WOMAN TO COMMAND THE TROOPS GUARDING THE QUEEN

FIRST WOMAN TO COMMAND THE TROOPS GUARDING THE QUEEN



A Canadian soldier has made history by becoming the first female officer to command the troops guarding the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

The diminutive Captain Megan Couto, 24, upended more than 300 years of history when she led some 40 Canadian troops through the Changing of the Guard this morning.

Captain Couto and her unit, The Second Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, were invited to serve as the Queen's Guard on a temporary basis as part of events to mark the 150th anniversary of Canada.

A ban on women serving in ground close combat roles in the British Armed Forces, which was lifted in July last year, means no woman has served as Captain of the Queen's Guard.

However in Canada, all Armed Forces roles have been open to women since 1989.



Captain Couto, who has been with the military for seven years, told the Daily Telegraph she had been 'blind' to the fact that she was in the minority as a woman in the Armed Forces.

She said: 'I’m treated just like any other infantry officer: if I do my job well I’m rewarded and if I mess up then I’m corrected. It’s been fairly normal.

While she admitted she was feeling a 'healthy bit of stress' ahead of the ceremony today, Captain Couto looked calm and composed as she led her troops to Buckingham Palace from nearby Wellington Barracks.

The 35-piece Royal Canadian Artillery Band led the way as crowds gathered to witness the historic events, CBC News reported.

The news outlet noted the Canadians could be distinguished from the British foot guards as they wore grey headwear, called pith helmets, rather than the bearskin hats.

Ahead of the event, Captain Couto said she was focusing on doing her job to the best of her ability.

'I'm just focusing on doing my job as best I can and staying humble,' she said.

'Any of my peers would be absolutely delighted to be Captain of the Queen's Guard and I'm equally honoured.

'I'm not feeling too nervous. We've practised enough and all the guys have been through their paces. I've just to focus on saying the right commands.'

Captain Couto's unit, known as The Patricia's, has been invited to the UK to mark the 150th anniversary of Canada.

The role of Mounting the Queen's Guard usually falls to the British Army's Household Division, which is largely made up of male troops.

Units from the British Empire and the Commonwealth have also been invited to take up the post.

While women have served on frontline duties in the British Army in a variety of roles, until July last year they were banned from ground close combat roles, so no female officer has served as Captain of the Queen's Guard.



The Government is opening up combat roles to women over a phased three-year term.

In November last year, some units of the Royal Armoured Corps were opened to women.  Roles in the infantry, including those in the Queen's Foot Guards, will be opened by the end of next year.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: 'I have always wanted roles in our armed forces to be determined by ability, not gender.

'Women have already given exemplary service in recent conflicts, working in a variety of highly specialised and vital roles. By opening all combat roles to women, we will continue to build on these successes and improve the operational capability of our military'.

Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Shilo, Manitoba, Canada, was named after Princess Patricia of Connaught, daughter of the then-Governor General of Canada.

Princess Patricia had special links with Buckingham Palace, the place of her birth on March 17 1886. Her father was Prince Arthur, the third son of Queen Victoria.