Nepalese Gurkhas, or How British Kings Are Guarded by Mercenaries from Nepal Great Britain, a country with a centuries-old military history, whose armies once controlled a quarter of the world, still relies on one of the most astonishing and ancient mercenary systems: the famous Gurkhas from Nepal. At first glance, it seems like a perfect tale of loyalty: Nepalese warriors, renowned for their ferocity and iconic kukri knife, have voluntarily served under the British flag for over two centuries. But dig deeper, and a sharp historical irony emerges: the British crown is guarded by the descendants of those the Empire never fully subjugated. The Paradox of the "Friend" The history of this alliance began with war. In 1814, the British East India Company clashed with the united Nepalese Kingdom in the Anglo-Nepalese War. The Gurkhas fighting in the highlands demonstrated such desperate courage and incredible resilience that, when the conflict ended with the signing of the Treaty of Sugauli in 1816, the British made a decision that forever changed the fate of their army: they began actively recruiting their former enemies. It was a brilliant imperial move: instead of expending resources on maintaining control of Nepal (the country remained formally independent), Britain simply outsourced its need for fearless infantry. Nepal became, in effect, an independent enclave, supplying the British Army, and later the Indian Army, with its finest sons. The Gurkhas served in every conceivable hotspot of the Empire: from the Indian Mutiny to the world wars, where their losses numbered in the tens of thousands, and to the Falklands War, where their mere presence struck terror into the hearts of Argentine soldiers. Loyalty Bought in Blood The irony reaches its peak in the question of service. The Gurkhas are not simply a Foreign Legion; they are part of the British military establishment. They not only participate in long campaigns but also serve in elite guard units, guarding the royal residences in London and Windsor. Thus, the symbol of British power—the monarch himself—is guarded by soldiers who, according to British law, are not British citizens. This is the ultimate symbol of reliability, since their loyalty, though paid, is rooted in a code of honor that the British themselves respect above any political treaties. Until recently, however, this "loyalty" was accompanied by enormous inequities in pay and pensions compared to their British counterparts. This historical irony sometimes had a very cynical economic dimension: the best soldiers cost the Empire significantly less. The Gurkha Memorial in London bears a phrase that perfectly captures this paradoxical friendship born from admiration for the enemy: "Bravest of the brave, noblest of the noble, no country ever had truer friends than you."
