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BEIJING, Oct. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- President Xi Jinping will pay a five-day state visit to the United Kingdom from Monday at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II. It will be the first state visit by a Chinese president for a decade, but friendship between Chinese leaders and British royals spans generations. A high-profile welcome will be held at Buckingham Palace, and at the moment the Royal Horse Guards are busy preparing for the Horse Guards Parade. Let's pay a visit to the training soldiers and horses.
"The Changing of the Guard" is one of London's most popular tourist attractions, a spectacular display of precision and ceremony. All routine stuff for the well drilled soldiers and cavalry. But when it comes to this state visit, things are going to be turned up a few notches.
Captain James Harbord, Hyde Park Barracks said:"On the 20th of October, we, the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, have the honour to be quite a major part of the Royal Escorts. On the day itself, some of the finest regiments of the British Army will be on display. We'll be there with four divisions, soldiers and horses, all mounted, including also a mounted band. The Grenadier Guards will have 96 men on parade whom the president will inspect, and we'll have approximately 90 horses in the escort itself. And there are 51 in the band, which includes our drum horses as well. Essentially, it's a real honour for us to welcome the president in this way, and hopefully he'll appreciate the effort the soldiers and men have gone to. It's a lot of preparation ahead of these events."
Accompanied by a member of the British royal family, President Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuan will receive official ceremonial welcome here and inspect the Royal Horse Guards Parade. In readiness, the soldiers and horses involved are going through thorough training.
"So we brought back our horses from grass; they've been sent out there on holiday. They come back here and go into a six-week build-up program. So the horse you have that time playing in the fields, they need to get built up to avoid taking any injuries. And also the soldiers have to make sure that all the kit is prepared, and you have to prepare all the movements as well. The whole regiment out on parade requires some fairly crucial details, and that has to get rehearsed before the parades, and that's a two-week build up there. This is the final part (of the preparation)," said Captain Harbord.
After inspecting the guard of honour, the visiting president will travel with The Queen in a carriage procession back to Buckingham Palace, where President Xi will stay during his time in London. To escort the procession, the Mounted Band will perform the Chinese national anthem.
Harbord said:"One thing that every one looks forward to is hearing different national anthems being played. And especially this year, this is the first time the Mounted Band is used for a state visit. So we'll be here looking forward to hearing the Chinese national anthem played on the Horse Guards Parade. Also, the other major highlights are - it's a wonderful sight to see London with all the Union flags fly; also, there'll be Chinese state flags as well; it will be a fantastic sight.And all the soldiers and the public will get a real sense of the occasion when they're flying in the wind."
President Xi's five-day visit to London comes at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II. It is the first state visit by a Chinese president for almost a decade. Besides the Royal Horse Guards Parade, Xi and Madam Peng will join the royal family for a private tour of an exhibition in the palace's Picture Gallery, showcasing items from the Royal Collection relating to China.
(Source: CNTV.cn)
