David Doherty served as a member of the Queen's Life Guard and remembers participating in parades with the queen. Doherty recalled how the leather skullcap which the soldiers were required to wear would shrink in the heat and, if a soldier didn't shake his head to dislodge it every few minutes, the skullcap would get so tight that the soldier would faint. But Doherty said being uncomfortable was outweighed by the experience. "People were shouting, waving flags, and you're riding down the Mall behind the Queen and you've got your sword, your horse, your helmet," Doherty said. "Unbelievable. You're a movie star."
