Men in uniform - American vs. British

Today Nika and I were provided with several examples of British military. We were on our way to the Changing of the Guard ceremony outside of Buckingham Palace, and we saw a British officer walking ahead of us. Then we passed a couple more in fatigues. A few blocks farther down, a whole company of soldiers in fatigues were practicing with mortars. Nika was very excited about them, but we had to hurry or we would be late for the changing of the guard. It was very crowded around the gates of Buckingham, but we managed to get some pics of the ceremony (really pretty anticlimactic - I wasn't sure it was worth the bother). While that was happening a company of the Horse Guards came through - perhaps just on parade, we weren't sure.
We looked up at the flag pole above the Palace and suddenly realized that the flag was flying that indicates when the Royal Family is in residence. A few minutes later, two gilt carriages came out, with their windows covered. Police and security surrounded the procession as it drove out of Buckingham. Apparently the some of the Royal Family had just taken off! We later came across a large military memorial service, and are supposing that it was the destination of the mysterious travelers. Pretty cool, huh?
So anyway, after passing by the dozens of cops and military-types that surrounded the area, we came to a conclusion: British cops are, as a rule, cuter than American cops. However, the British military (though there were some cute ones) just can't compare to the American military. We wanted to mention that to the British soldiers we passed, but that may not be polite. And in London, you must at least be polite. =) More later, folks!