Major-General commanding the Household Division
The Major-General commanding the Household Division commands the Household Division of the British Army and is also the General Officer Commanding London District. In British Army parlance, "The Major-General" always refers to the Major-General commanding the Household Division. The Major-General has sole responsibility for the Service aspect of all State and ceremonial occasions within London District. The office holds executive command of the Household Division and of any other units brought into London for providing military security to the Sovereign, the Royal Palaces as well as for ceremonial purposes and is the main channel of communication between the Household Division and the Monarch. He or she is appointed by The Sovereign, and will previously have commanded a Regiment or Battalion within the Household Division.
Major-General commanding the Household Division
Edward Smyth-Osbourne in the full-dress uniform of a Major-General, on duty at the State Opening of Parliament in 2015
The Household Division forms a part of the British Army's London District and is made up of five regiments of foot guards and two Household Cavalry regiments. The division is responsible for performing public duties and state ceremonies in London and Windsor. Such functions include the State Opening of Parliament, Trooping the Colour, and mounting the King's Guard.
Emblem of the Household Division
Troopers from the Household Cavalry during the 2018 Trooping the Colour.
Warrant officers of the Welsh Guards and Coldstream Guards during the 2015 State Opening of Parliament.
The Coldstream Guards laying up their old Colours after receiving new Colours from Queen Elizabeth II, their colonel-in-chief, in 2013.