Meet the First Woman to Guard the Queen

Captain Megan Couto will become the first female officer to command the Queen's Guard at Buckingham Palace.

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Canadian soldier, Couto, will create history when she breaks the long-standing 300-year male-dominated task – when she commands the troops guarding the Queen and royal residences in London.

On Monday, the 24-year-old will lead approximately 40 Canadian soldiers through the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.

"A lot of the things that I do, I am the first," said Couto, a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada. "But that's kind of the blessing that in Canada, it's not that huge of a deal."

Couto only recently learned that Canadian soldiers sometimes guard the Queen. "It is a big deal because of the tradition and the importance of the ceremony," Couto acknowledged. "We brought all of our normal people and I'm one of those people, just doing my job."

Following a 35-piece Royal Canadian Artillery Band marching and performing, Couto will assume her position as Captain of the Guard – at St. James's Palace – for 24 hours. "It is just another day on the job," said Couto. "But, it is a pretty special one for me."

Canadian soldiers will be serving as the Queen's Guard on specific dates until July 3. The troops will keep watch as sentries at Buckingham Palace, St. James's Palace, the Tower of London and Windsor Castle – at Her Majesty's request.

British troops usually assume the Guard role, with units from the British Empire and Commonwealth doing so on the rare occasion.

But, the Sovereign's Guard has never been led by a female officer before.

A spokesperson for the British Ministry of Defence, Susan Coulthard, said the British Armed Forces don't allow women to accede to some frontline roles due to "previous concerns" over "muscular injury, psychological health and impaired reproductive health." She added that infantry roles will be accessible to female troops by the end of 2018.

On the contrary, the Canadian military has allowed women to serve in nearly all roles since 1989. The only exception was the submarine service, which ban was lifted in 2000.