London... Guarding the treasures of Her Majesty.

The Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, popularly known as the Beefeaters, are ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London. In principle they are responsible for looking after any prisoners at the Tower and safeguarding the British crown jewels, but in practice they act as tour guides and are a tourist attraction in their own right, a point the Yeoman Warders acknowledge...

The name Beefeater is of uncertain origin, with various proposed derivations. The most likely is considered to be the Wardens' payment in rations that included beef, as well as mutton and veal, and various historical commentators have noted a preference for beef among the Wardens and the Yeomen of the Guard. Count Cosimo, grand duke of Tuscany, visited the Tower in 1669 and commented "A very large ration of beef is given to them daily at court...that they might be called Beef-eaters" It has been suggested that beefeaters were privileged with a ration of beef from the King's table.