exon

A junior officer of the Yeomen of the Guard, the Sovereign’s ceremonial bodyguard. Exons assisted the senior officers in supervising and organising the Yeomen, and the rank formed part of the established hierarchy of the Guard. The title, derived from “exempt”, dates from the early organisation of the corps and remained in use through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The Yeomen of the Guard continue to perform ceremonial duties at major royal and state occasions.