The Duchess of Edinburgh's String Orchestra (DESO), previously known as the Countess of Wessex's String Orchestra (CWSO), is a 24-member string band from the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

Royal Corps of Army Music The Royal Corps of Army Music (RCAM, widely known by its former acronym CAMUS) is a Corps of the British Army dedicated to the provision and promotion of military music. History The formation of the Corps of Army Music was triggered by a defen ...

. It is the only independent full-time string band in the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces are the unified military, military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its British Overseas Territories, Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests ...

. It is named after

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh (born Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones; 20 January 1965) is a member of the British royal family. She is married to Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, the youngest sibling of King Charles III. Sophie grew up in Brenchley, ...

(formerly Countess of Wessex), the daughter-in-law of Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

, sister-in-law of King

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

and

Colonel-in-Chief Colonel-in-Chief is a ceremonial position in an army regiment. It is in common use in several Commonwealth armies, where it is held by the regiment's patron, usually a member of the royal family. Some armed forces take a light-hearted approach to ...

of RCAM. It is stationed from the former quarters of the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

at Woolwich Barracks.

History

There have been string bands in existence in the British Army since the mid-18th century, usually being sported by units of the

. In 1994, the

Royal Artillery Band The Royal Artillery Band was the first official, and permanent British military band (and former symphony orchestra) originating in 1557, but granted official status in 1762. Consisting of woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments (and from ...

and Orchestra were absorbed in the newly formed Corps of Army Music. It was announced on 30 July 2013 that the Royal Artillery Orchestra would cease to exist in favour of a forthcoming "State String Orchestra", following cuts to Army Music. On 3 March 2014, Queen Elizabeth approved the title of the "Countess of Wessex's String Orchestra" for the new

military band A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind instrument, wind and percussion instruments. The conducting, conductor of a ...

in honour of the CAMUS Colonel-in-Chief. It was officially created on 1 April 2014. Earlier that February, the

, formed a special "Veterans of the Royal Artillery Band" that paraded on General Gordon's Square for the last time in Woolwich. The Countess of Wessex first visited the orchestra in early December. The visit saw the orchestra perform a piece composed by members of the orchestra in her honor.

Duties

It has been invited to perform at events such as investitures, ceremonies at Royal Households, state banquets and dinners. Its task is unique to the group as it is the first dedicated military ensemble designed for non-traditional instruments. It has performed in a combined setting with its counterparts from the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

and

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

: the RAF Music Salon Orchestra and the String Orchestra from the Band of HM Royal Marines

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

References

{{Reflist Royal Corps of Army Music British military bands String orchestras 2014 establishments in the United Kingdom

History

Duties

See also

References