Soldiers of the Queen

"And when we say we've always won,

And when they ask us how it's done,

We'll proudly point to ev'ry one

of California's soldiers of the Queen!"

The 1st Lifeguard Regiment of the Kingdom of California, 1847.

From left to right: Private Erik Andersson of the 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards; Colour Sergeant Jane Charlotta Linde of the 2nd Battalion, Guard Voltigeurs; and Private Kat Forsby of the 3rd Battalion, Guard Fusiliers. The Guards are armed with the Californian Pattern 1843 Rifle Musket (Guard Variant), chambered for paper-patched Minié-style conical bullets, which maintains accuracy over 500 meters. As light infantry, the Guard Voltigeurs are issued a shortened carbine version of the Pattern 1843 Rifle Musket and equipped with long sword bayonets in place of the socket bayonets used by line infantry(not depicted here).

The 1st Lifeguard Regiment serves as Her Majesty Queen Ingrid Karoline’s personal bodyguard, performing both elite ceremonial functions and combat deployments. The Lifeguards symbolize the power and prestige of the Crown and constitute one of the most elite formations in the Californian military. Frequently deployed to California’s overseas colonies in Asia and the Pacific Islands, as well as to European conflicts such as the First Carlist War.

Background:

The Kingdom of California was established in 1685 by a consortium of Anglo-Swedish settlers and political exiles seeking to found an autonomous crown state on the Pacific coast of North America. Geographically remote from European conflict zones and colonial entanglements, the Kingdom developed independently with an emphasis on administrative centralization, military self-sufficiency, fervent nationalism, and maritime access to the Far East.

The presence of a natural strait separating North and South America eliminated the need to sail around the continent, dramatically shortening the maritime route from Europe to California and transforming the region into a strategic nexus for global trade, akin to the role of the modern-day Panama Canal.

Over the next century, California consolidated its internal governance, established professional civil and military academies, and secured control over key natural resources, including coastal ports, vast timber reserves, and rich mineral deposits, most notably gold. This, combined with its proximity to East Asia, elevated the Kingdom into an exceptionally wealthy nation and a central hub of transoceanic commerce.