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The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths' Own) is a armoured cavalry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed by an amalgamation of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) and the Queen's Royal Lancers on 2 May 2015. It serves as the armoured cavalry reconnaissance regiment for 1st Deep Reconnaissance Strike Brigade, part of 3rd (UK) Division.
On 5 April 2017, to mark her 70th anniversary as Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Lancers and its predecessors, The Queen granted the regiment the honorific suffix "Queen Elizabeths' Own", to recognise their service to Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
On 8 June 2023, Queen Camilla was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment.
The regiment consists of three Sabre Squadrons of sixteen vehicles each and a Headquarters Squadron. The Royal Lancers forms part of the Royal Armoured Corps. It is based in Catterick as part of the 1st Deep Reconnaissance Strike Brigade acting as Divisional Reconnaissance for the 3rd (UK) Division.
Since 2015, the regiment has deployed soldiers operationally on Operation Elgin (Bosnia / Kosovo), Operation Tosca (Cyprus), Operation Orbital (Ukraine), and as part of the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group in Poland.
The regiment may remain seated during the playing of the National Anthem following the service of the 17th Lancers aboard HMS Success and the acquisition of the nickname ‘The Horse Marines”.
The historic lance, complete with pennon, is still carried by detachments of the regiment on ceremonial occasions. After the Battle of Aliwal 1846 the pennants of the 16th Lancers were found to be so encrusted with blood that they stood upright and stiff. A regimental tradition carried forward through the QRL and into the modern regiment is that lance pennants are starched and crimped 16 times in commemoration. Today, on parade half of the regiment's pennants will always be crimped.
Colonels-in-Chief
Colonels of the Regiment
Commanding Officers
Regimental Commanding Officers included: Regiments and Commanding Officers, 1960–.
Order of precedence
The regiment retains order of precedence from the more senior antecedent regiment, the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's).
Lineage
The Royal Lancers is now the last regiment in the British Army to retain the title of "lancers". It has directly or indirectly inherited the traditions of the six British lancer regiments that were in existence until a series of amalgamations began in 1922.
9th (The Queen's Royal) Lancers 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's)
(amalgamated 1960)Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths' Own) 12th (Prince Of Wales's Royal) Lancers 16th (The Queen's) Lancers 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers Queen's Royal Lancers 5th (Royal Irish) Lancers 17th (Duke Of Cambridge's Own) Lancers 17th/21st Lancers 21st (Empress of India's) Lancers
Traditions
The Regimental Cap Badge is referred to as the 'Motto' and stands for 'Death or Glory'.
Alliances and affiliations
External links
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