Unicorn released today Trusted Guardians: Inside the Mounted Regiment, a photography book by Norwegian photographer Glenn Røkeberg. Developed over almost two years with unique access, the book documents the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, the monarch’s official bodyguard since 1660, and the most senior regiment in the British Army. The publication includes a foreword by Lieutenant General Sir Edward Smyth-Osbourne KCVO CBE.
Working in black and white, Røkeberg captures the regiment beyond its public role. From early morning training and stable routines to the preparations behind ceremonial duties, the photographs follow the discipline, repetition, and precision required to sustain one of the most recognisable institutions in British public life. Alongside its ceremonial function, the work reflects the regiment’s role as an operational military unit, with soldiers rotating between duties in London and active service.
The publication includes images featuring HM King Charles III, HRH The Princess Royal, and TRH The Prince and Princess of Wales, placing the regiment within its wider ceremonial context.
Røkeberg’s access brings individuals within the regiment into focus. Figures such as Surgeon Lieutenant Colonel Jedge H. Lewin OBE FRCGP of The Blues and Royals appear alongside troopers, officers, and trainers, reflecting the breadth of roles that sustain the regiment beyond its public-facing duties.
At the centre of the book is the relationship between horse and soldier. As described in the foreword, this is “a relationship built on trust, patience and an unspoken understanding,” developed over time through daily training and care. Many soldiers arrive with no riding experience, undertaking an intensive training programme before continuing daily schooling in London.
The book also documents Summer Camp, an annual two-week deployment following the ceremonial season. Designed to strengthen riding, confidence, and cohesion between horse and rider, it offers a different rhythm of regimental life. For the horses, it provides a break from London, with time spent on cross-country training, show jumping, and long rides, including the regiment’s beach ride at Hayling Island in 2025.
Trusted Guardians is dedicated to Captain Elizabeth Helen Godwin (1997–2025), the first female officer to be commissioned into the Life Guards. Captain Godwin played a central role in enabling the project. Røkeberg describes her as “a powerhouse representing the very best qualities of an officer”, whose support and belief in the work made the series possible. Her presence runs throughout the book, reflecting a regiment that with pride states, “Lizzie will forever remain one of us”.
Spanning over 350 pages, Trusted Guardians presents a close account of a regiment defined not only by ceremony, but by training, service, and continuity. The photographs move between preparation and performance, documenting a system built on discipline and collective responsibility, with text contributions by Captain Henry Tregear. The book is designed by Matthew Wilson.
Glenn Røkeberg is a professional photographer, dividing his time between Oslo and London. He specialises in employer branding, portrait, and automotive photography. Born in Detroit, USA, in 1964 to Norwegian parents, he has lived in Norway since the age of three. He studied photography at the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California. Røkeberg works extensively with commercial clients across Europe. In addition to his commercial work, he pursues personal photographic projects that reflect his social engagement and interest in portraying life through images of people and their environments.
Glenn Røkeberg : Trusted Guardians: Inside the Mounted Regiment
Publisher : Unicorn
Format : Hardback
Dimensions : 352 pages – 289mm x 245mm
ISBN: 9781917458917
£60.00
www.unicornpublishing.org
