system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Star Wars] Why would Emperor Palpatine need any Royal Guards?

Because no one could possibly get near him to hurt him, or were they more of a "statement" thing?
gpt
You have to remember that Palpatine maintained a very specific public image. He was a weak old man who had been scarred by the radical Jedi. He was not a mastermind or powerful to the general public.

The guards are an image, similar to the Swiss Guard. Theoretically, each of them could be very competent at their job, there is just a very small chance that they will need to do so.