This morning the Armed Forces of Malta re-established the Palace Ceremonial Guard at the Presidential Palace in Saint George's Square, Valletta after an absence of nine months.

The Guards will be mounted daily between 9.30am and 4.30pm with a change of guards every hour.

The ceremony held today to reinstate the Palace Guard was a mock-up of the formal procedure that dates back to the rule of the Order of St John, when the Grand Master's personal guards were stationed in the buildings surrounding what was then known as Piazza De La Guardia.

During the British period, the square became a parade ground that also housed a garrison to guard the British Governor - known as the Main Guard.

The Guard has been re-established following a revamp to improve the overall standard of the Guard.

Images by Sgt Bugeja D & Bdr Gatt J