The unit was first established by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) in 1859, whilst he was still a young prince.

The Royal Guards were established by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) of Siam in 1859, when he was still a young prince.

Initially, the Royal Guards were servants with duties such as scaring crows, which led to commoners referring to them as the "Mahat Lek Lai Ka," roughly translated as "Scarecrow Corps."

[6] Then, on 23 April 2019, The unit has renamed again to 1st Infantry Regiment, King's Close Bodyguard.

Thereby removing the two units out of the chain of command of the Royal Thai Army and into the monarchy.