Hello. I hope this part of the forum is still active. I have an ancestor who has a uniform that looks very similar to that of the Hanoverian Leib-regiment in 1866. I have many questions about this unit, but I'm not able to find much information online and I cannot read German. From what I have seen, this was an elite royal bodyguard unit, and also a cavalry unit. Is this correct? If not, what did they do?
Also, how did a person become part of this unit? Was it by merit? Or did he need some sort of connection to nobility? I ask this from a genealogical perspective, because I'm curious if my ancestor is related somehow to nobility considering the prestige of this position. Thank you.