in Roman antiquity, a regiment of bodyguards belonging to the Roman kings, established by Romulus, and composed of three hundred young men, chosen out of the most illustrious Roman families, and approved by the suffrages of the curia of the people, each of which furnished ten. The name was given them because of their promptness to obey the king.

The celeres always attended near the king's person, to guard him, to be ready to carry his orders, and to execute them. In war they formed the van-guard in the engagement, which they always began; in retreats they formed the rear-guard. Though the celeres were a body of horse, yet they usually dismounted and fought on foot. Their commander was called tribune or prefect of the celeres. They were divided into three troops of a hundred each, commanded by a captain called centurio, and their tribune was the second person in the kingdom. Plutarch says that Numa broke the celeres. If this be true, they were soon re-established; for we find them under most of the succeeding kings. Brutus, who expelled the Tarquins, was tribune of this corps d'élite.