The Queen's Cavalry

Insight into the daily lives of the troopers of the Household Cavalry, the British Army's most senior regiments. The horsemen practice for the state opening of Parliament - an exercise that takes place during the dead of night. New recruits learn to ride the hard way at Windsor, and the armoured division gets into a fire fight with the Paras.

The Princess Elizabeth Cup sees troopers compete to be the smartest in the Household Cavalry. Recruits seeking promotion attend gruelling tests involving live rounds and grenades, and the trainee horse-riders attempt their first canter.

A trooper is punished during the Queen's Life Guards' rigorous 4pm daily inspection, a ritual that began after a poor turn-out for Queen Victoria. The armoured regiment heads for Farnham and manages to get a tank lost in the town's one-way system, while the trainee horsemen start a kitty during their training - paying £5 every time they fall off.

The armoured divisions visit Canada for a mock battle, in which conditions are exactly as expected during a war - except lasers are used instead of live ammunition. Back in London, the trainee troopers don their breastplates as the ceremonial season begins, and prepare to guard the Queen for the first time.

Stories of famous horses from the regiment's past, including Sefton, the mount wounded by an IRA bomb. The newest equine member of the troop, Freddy, is gently handled when he is ridden for the first time. The trainee tank drivers' tests, however, are far more gruelling, as they take the vehicles cross-country while learning to drive for war.

Princess Anne discusses preparations for the Queen's Birthday Parade, as the Knightsbridge Barracks undergo last-minute rehearsals. Meanwhile, the trainees in the riding school come under pressure as classes intensify, and their instructor struggles to ensure all candidates make the grade.