THE HONOURABLE Artillery Company (HAC) has been invited to participate in the 500th anniversary celebrations of the Papal Swiss Guard at the Vatican, which conclude on Sunday May 7.
The HAC is almost as old a military unit as the Swiss Guard, having been granted a Charter of Incorporation by King Henry VIII in 1537. In the 21st Century it provides a regiment for the Territorial Army whose members have recently seen service in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq.
The HAC's Company of Pi kernen and Musketeers will feature prominently in the Vatican ceremonies, They will be parading in their distinctive 17th-century red uniforms more usually seen when they provide guards for the Lord Mayor's functions at the Mansion House and Guildhall and for other events in the City.
They will be supported by the Regimental Band and Corps of Drums as well as a party of over 800 HAC members and their families, led by their Colonel Commandant, General Sir Timothy Granville-Chapman, The Lord Mayor. Alderman David Brewer, will also be joining the party in Rome.