The Cent-gardes Squadron, (French: L'Escadron des Cent-gardes), also called Cent Gardes à Cheval (Hundred Guardsmen on Horseback), were an elite cavalry corps of the Second French Empire primarily responsible for protecting the person of the Emperor Napoleon III, as well as providing security within the Tuileries Palace. They also provided an escort for the emblems of the Imperial Guard and their award ceremony with flag and standard bearers.