First Female Beefeater Takes Her Post

After 500+ years, gender barrier falls at Tower of London

By Sam Gale Rosen, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 3, 2007 4:20 PM CDT

Copied

First Female Beefeater Takes Her Post — Moira Cameron, centre, who is the first woman to serve as a Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London, Monday September 3, 2007, joins the 35 guards who protect the Crown Jewels. Cameron, a Warrant Officer Class 2 who joined the army at age 16, and now joins the Yeoman Warders, known as Beefeaters, as the... (Associated Press)

The Tower of London is no longer a man's world—a 42-year-old Scottish woman has become the first female Beefeater. Moira Cameron started work today after 2 months of special training. Like the other Yeoman Warders who work at the tower, she'll guard the crown jewels and lead tours. "This place is magical," she told the BBC.

Cameron served 22 years in the army to become eligible for the £20,000-a-year position. "It's just a wonderful job and I'm very, very lucky to have it," she said, flashing a huge smile. The Yeoman Warders have guarded at the tower since 1485; today, for the first time, one of them went to work armed with lip gloss. (More beefeater stories.)

Report an error