The Emperor's Royal Guard, also called Imperial Royal Guard, was a highly elite guard unit tasked with the protection of Emperor Palpatine. The Emperor was almost never seen without a detachment of Royal Guards at his side. So much that they usually accompanied him to his bed chambers and his office within the death star. The Emperor's Royal Guard was the successor to the Republic's Red Guard.
The exact number of Royal Guardsmen serving the Emperor was unknown, with speculations ranging from less than fifty to tens of thousands, although their numbers were estimated to be at least four hundred at any one point.
Like the Stormtroopers of the Stormtrooper Corps, the Royal Guards formed a military unit independent of the Imperial Military and directly answerable to the Emperor. -Wookieepedia
