Saudi Royal Guard Command

The Saudi Royal Guard Command is the military force responsible for providing security and protection to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Crown Prince, and other important figures at all their locations inside and outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It also provides security and protection to important state guests during their visits to the Kingdom.

The regular Royal Guard was formed from the first regular forces established by the founding King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud in 1929. The Royal Guard has witnessed many developments since its inception, going through four developmental stages, namely: The first stage was from 1929 to 1950. The second stage was from 1951 to 1964. The third stage was from 1964 to 2005. The fourth and current stage started in 2005 and continues to the present.

During these stages, many changes unfolded within the Royal Guard command and its structure. In 1937, an army force led by Deputy Commander Saeed Jawdat was tasked with guarding King Abdulaziz during the Hajj season and throughout his stay in the western region until his departure. In 1940, King Abdulaziz directed this force to accompany him to Riyadh, where it took over the security of the Murabba Palace from the Riyadh Police, as well as all the Royal Guard's operations and the defense of Riyadh City. Commander Saeed Jawdat is the Royal Guard's first commander.

Among the historical changes that the Royal Guard underwent was the change of the name of the Royal Guard Principality to the Royal Guard Command in 1960, when His Royal Highness Prince Mansour Bin Saud Bin Abdulaziz assumed its command, followed by His Royal Highness Prince Sultan Bin Saud Bin Abdulaziz. Lieutenant General Saeed Jawdat was still in command of the Royal Guard at the time. The uniform of the Royal Guard consists of a jacket, trousers, shoes, a waist belt, and a beret.

The Royal Guard Command aims to ensure the stability of the Kingdom's leadership by adopting all necessary preventive and defensive actions in collaboration with all the Kingdom's security sectors.

The Royal Guard Command organizes its operations from its headquarters in the capital, Riyadh. The command has an organizational and administrative structure that is directly linked to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

Similar to other Saudi regular forces, the Royal Guard also went through multiple formation stages. Initially, it consisted of three infantry battalions, an arms battalion that included heavy tanks, armored vehicles, field artillery, anti-aircraft guns, and mortar guns, in addition to machine guns and automatic rifles, and units attached to the command of the brigade, such as the War Police Company, the Music Company, and the Mechanical Workshop.

Another development in the formation of the Royal Guard occurred in 1964. It was restructured from some of the existing guard units in Riyadh and Jeddah to form two infantry battalions: the first in Riyadh and the second in Jeddah. Additionally, a music band, a transport and maintenance company, and a medical department were established. The Royal Guard was then linked to the General Staff Presidency. After the formation of the ground forces, it became linked to the commander of the ground forces.

The development of the Royal Guard continued, as a royal order was issued on March 11, 2006, merging the Special Brigade from the National Guard into the Royal Guard as one entity under the name of the Royal Guard Command, which directly reports to the King.

A royal order was issued on October 6, 2008, establishing a permanent committee for the Royal Guard. Its mission is to study all matters related to the functions of the Royal Guard. Three security and protection units were also established to guard Taybah Palace in al-Madinah al-Munawwarah, Aja Palace in Hail, and Hijr Palace in al-Ahsa. Thus, the Royal Guard now has a presence in most regions of the Kingdom.

The Royal Guard carries out a range of tasks and responsibilities, which include:

- Providing security and protection for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and his Crown Prince wherever they are, both within and outside the Kingdom, during all their movements and on all means of transportation.

- Ensuring the safety and security of the guests of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and his Crown Prince wherever they are in the Kingdom.

- Providing security and protection for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, his Crown Prince, and their guests during celebrations and conferences held within the Kingdom in collaboration with other security agencies.

- Providing security and protection for all royal courts and palaces in the cities of the Kingdom.

- Monitoring all workers in various offices, royal palaces, the Council of Ministers, and all places where the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and his Crown Prince are present, and granting them entry cards to those places after verifying them from a security standpoint.

- Coordinating with the Royal Protocol and the Office of Citizen Affairs regarding meetings of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and his Crown Prince with citizens, dignitaries, and foreigners.

- Undertaking any other duties that the Royal Guard may be assigned.

- Providing security and protection for members of the royal family and state officials when they travel on missions outside the Kingdom.

- Conducting all special ceremonies to welcome and bid farewell to guests of the Kingdom within its borders, including the presentation of ambassadors' credentials, with the participation of honor guard units, royal ceremonial security, and the cavalry squadron.

- Carrying out all special ceremonies for celebrations and conferences attended by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques or his representative when requested by officials.

- Coordinating with security agencies during various celebrations and events held within the Kingdom to develop joint security plans to ensure the safety and protection of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, his Crown Prince, and all accompanying officials and dignitaries.

- Collaborating with other sectors of the armed forces in any combat operations that align with the missions and armament of the Royal Guard.

The Royal Guard witnesses continuous developments to perform its duties with the highest levels of efficiency and use of technology in its activities. On May 1, 2019, the Command and Control Center was inaugurated in the security operations room. The command and control room operates with a comprehensive automated system and has been equipped to manage the security operations field, managing the operations area according to a unified concept with a series of precise procedures linking all regions.