The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths' Own) is a

armoured cavalry Armoured cavalry are military units using armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) instead of horses. They began to replace horse cavalry in the heavy shock and the light reconnaissance, skirmishing and exploitation/pursuit roles in most armies com ...

regiment of 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 ...

. 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 Combat Team The 1st Deep Reconnaissance Strike Brigade Combat Team is a formation of the British Army, currently headquartered in Delhi Barracks, Tidworth Camp, Wiltshire, as part of the 3rd (United Kingdom) Division. History As part of the Future Soldier ...

, part of 3rd (UK) Division.

History

It appears that the regimental amalgamation of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) and the Queen's Royal Lancers was envisaged as part of

Army 2020 Army 2020 is the restructuring of the British Army in the early and mid-2010s, in light of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010. The plan, as its name suggested, was intended to be completed by 2020, though most of its reorganisations ...

. The amalgamation was announced in July 2012, and the regiment was formed with an amalgamation parade before their colonel-in-chief,

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. ...

, at

Richmond Castle Richmond Castle in Richmond, North Yorkshire, Richmond, North Yorkshire, England, stands in a commanding position above the River Swale, close to the centre of the town of Richmond. It was originally called Riche Mount, 'the strong hill'. The ca ...

on 2 May 2015. 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 Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was al ...

. Previously equipped with the

Scimitar A scimitar ( or ) is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade of about 75 to 90 cm (30 to 36 inches) associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures. A European term, ''scimitar'' does not refer to one specific swor ...

armoured reconnaissance vehicle, the regiment converted to the

Warrior A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal society, tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, social class, class, or caste. History ...

tracked armoured vehicle in 2022. On 8 June 2023,

Queen Camilla Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. Camilla was raised in East ...

was appointed colonel-in-chief of the regiment.

Operational role

The regiment is an armoured cavalry reconnaissance regiment. The regiment is equipped with the Warrior vehicle, which is in the process of being replaced by the

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...

after considerable delays. The Ajax armoured cavalry programme will reach its

initial operating capability Initial operating capability or initial operational capability (IOC) is the state achieved when a capability is available in its minimum usefully deployable form. The term is often used in government or military procurement. The United States D ...

(IOC) in December 2025. The Panther Command and Liaison Vehicle is also currently used. The regiment consists of three Sabre Squadrons of sixteen vehicles each and one Command and Support Squadron. The Royal Lancers forms part of the

Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the armoured arm of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 and the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle. It includes most of the Ar ...

. It is based in Catterick as part of the 12th Armoured Brigade Combat Team, one of the three Armoured Brigade Combat Teams of 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.

Colonels-in-Chief

* 2015–2022: HM

* 2023–present: HM The Queen

Colonels of the Regiment

* 2015–2019: Brigadier Andrew Hughes * 2019–2024: Col Richard Charrington * 2024–present: General Sir James Everard

Commanding Officers

Regimental Commanding Officers included: * 2015–2017: Lt Col Marcus J. Mudd * 2017–2019: Lt Col Henry L. Searby * 2019–2021: Lt Col Adam N. B. Foden * 2021–2023: Lt Col Will J. R. Richmond * 2023–Present: Lt Col Robin D. Davies

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.

Traditions

The Regimental Cap Badge is referred to as the 'Motto' and stands for 'Death or Glory'. The historic

lance The English term lance is derived, via Middle English '' launce'' and Old French '' lance'', from the Latin '' lancea'', a generic term meaning a wikt:lancea#Noun">lancea'', a generic term meaning a spear">wikt:lancea#Noun">lancea'', a generi ...

, complete with pennant, is still carried by detachments of the regiment on ceremonial occasions.

Alliances

* –

Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) (LdSH(RC)) is a regular armoured warfare, armoured regiment of the Canadian Army and is Canada’s only tank regiment. Currently based in Edmonton, Alberta, the regiment is part of 3rd Canadian Division' ...

* – 12th Frontier Force (Sam Browne's Cavalry) * –

References

External links

Official webpage
{{Authority control Regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps Cavalry regiments of the British Army Military units and formations established in 2015