The Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, popularly known as the Beefeaters, are ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London. Their original responsibilities were to keep watch on the prisoners held in the Tower and to safeguard the British Crown Jewels, but today they act as tour guides and are a tourist attraction in their own right. The term Beefeater is of uncertain origin, but a likely explanation is that the Warders, who began guarding the Tower in 1485, were once paid in rations that included beef. For official state occasions, or when the Sovereign visits the Tower, the Warders wear special red and gold uniforms similar to those of the Yeoman of the Guard.