Week in Photos: Etna Erupts, 1st Female Beefeater, More

Week in Photos: Etna Erupts, 1st Female Beefeater, More
Week in Photos: Etna Erupts, 1st Female Beefeater, More
Week in Photos: Etna Erupts, 1st Female Beefeater, More
Week in Photos: Etna Erupts, 1st Female Beefeater, More
Week in Photos: Etna Erupts, 1st Female Beefeater, More
Week in Photos: Etna Erupts, 1st Female Beefeater, More
Week in Photos: Etna Erupts, 1st Female Beefeater, More
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Week in Photos: Etna Erupts, 1st Female Beefeater, More
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London, United Kingdom, September 3, 2007—The first female Beefeater, Moira Cameron, patrols the Tower of London.

Cameron, 42, is the only woman to take the post in the 522-year history of the British guard corps.

A native of Argyll, Scotland, Cameron served in the British army for 22 years, the minimum required to be eligible for a Beefeater assignment.

The guards, formally called Yeoman Warders, were originally meant to look after prisoners in the Tower and protect the British crown jewels, but today they act mostly as tour guides.

The nickname likely comes from past guards' fondness for roast beef.

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—Photograph by Lefteris Pitarakis/AP
 

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