Beefeaters!

I have no idea why this popped in my mind, but I was thinking of Beefeaters earlier today.  No, I haven't been drinking Gin, and I am not thinking of my buddies back in Texas who love to eat BBQ Brisket everyday.  I am thinking of those British soldiers who guard Buckingham Palace. I think it is because I saw something on a travel show the other day about it, but I can't be sure. 

Anyway, I was under the impression that this was a beefeater:

However, no, he’s just a guy in a big, furry hat who stands emotionless at the Palace gates to scare off terrorists and intruders who want to maybe sneak in to hug the queen or grap Prince Charles' Butt. 
It is kind of a tourist tradition to say things to these fur-hatted fellows, as they aren't allowed to respond or react to anything. You can taunt those guys all day long and insult their mothers, wives, girlfriends, dogs, etc. and they are forbidden to shoot up or make you into a kebab with their bayonets.They maybe thinking about it, but they're not allowed to do it, so if you go to visit the Palace be sure to greet them with a hearty “SCREW YOU, Q-TIP HEAD!”

I do wonder about their attire.  I don’t understand why it’s necessary to have such a large fur hat though. What does he keep in there and is it something useful like a bottle of gin? ( Beefeater Gin maybe?)  And isn't hot on those sultry muggy London summer days?  Imagine the sweat that hat creates.  Bet they smell something awful after a 90 degree day.

And these guys cannot move either!  What if they have to pee?  Do they have some kind of hidden bladder type bottle in their pants?  Do they wear Depends Adult Diapers?  Do they get fired or demoted if they sneeze?  All legit questions.
While searching for some pics for this post, I found out that those furry hatted guys who guard Buckingham Palace are not Beefeaters.  Here is a picture of some authentic Beefeaters:

They’re very funny looking. In fact they look like they are straight out of a “Monty Python” movie in their little lampshade hats and ruffly, frilly shirty things.

I found out some interesting facts about the Beefeaters.  Beefeaters are the guards at the Tower of London and are officially called Yeoman Warders (Personally, I think the Beefeater name sounds awhole lot better!)  There are only twelve of them and they are now Tour Guides.  At one time, they guarded the prisoners and the Crown Jewels. 

There are also 73 Beefeaters that make up the Queen's Guard.  These guys are all ex-military elite.  I guess you could insult these dudes, but they would probably string you up in the Tower and torture you for a month or so.  So I wouldn't do it.