[1] The first Royal Guards unit was established by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) in 1859, when he was still the heir.

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".

About the year 1875 the necessity for surveys in connection with improvements in the city of Bangkok, and for supervision in carrying out these improvements, led to the selection of certain officers of the royal bodyguard for training in this direction.

These officers were formed into a special company called "Military Engineers of the Royal Bodyguard," in which Mr. James McCarthy held the rank of captain.

The Royal Guards still exist down to the present and many more units from all branches of the armed forces were given this distinction.