British pomp and ceremony, while pretty, often seems somewhat unnecessary these days.

Matt Dunham / Pool file via AP
Yeomen of the Guard lineup as they wait to start their ceremonial search in the Palace of Westminster, before the opening of Parliament in London, Tuesday, May 25, 2010. The search dates back to Nov. 5 1605, when Guy Fawkes, one of a group of plotters, was arrested in the cellars underneath Parliament, with a store of gun power, with which he planned to blow up Parliament.