The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths' Own) is a

cavalry regiment Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating a ...

of the British Army. The regiment was formed by an amalgamation of

9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) The 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1960 by the amalgamation of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers and the 12th Royal Lancers. In the later years of its existence, the regiment served a ...

and the

Queen's Royal Lancers The Queen's Royal Lancers (QRL) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1993 and amalgamated with the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) on 2 May 2015 to form the Royal Lancers. History The regiment was formed in 1 ...

on 2 May 2015. It serves as the Formation Reconnaissance Regiment of the

1st Armoured Infantry Brigade The 1st Armoured Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army with a long history including service during both the First and the Second World Wars. It was based at Tidworth Camp. Previously, it has been designated 1st (Guards ...

History

It appears that the regimental amalgamation of the

and the

was envisaged as part of Army 2020. The amalgamation was announced in July 2012, and the regiment was formed with an amalgamation parade before the colonel-in-chief, The Queen, at Richmond Castle 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.

Operational role

The regiment is an Armoured Cavalry Regiment, equipped with the

CVR(T) The Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked), abbreviated CVR(T), is a family of armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) developed in the 1960s and is in service with the British Army and others throughout the world. They are small, highly mobile, air ...

family, mainly the FV107 Scimitar. This was intended to be replaced by the Ajax (Scout SV) from 2019; however, after considerable delays, British Army trials of the Ajax were paused in the summer of 2021 due to excessive vibration. 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. It is based in Catterick as part of the

12th Armoured Infantry Brigade The 12th Armoured Brigade Combat team, formerly the 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade, is a regular brigade of the British Army which has been in almost continuous existence since 1899 and now forms part of 3rd Division (United Kingdom), 3rd (United ...

, one of the three Armoured Infantry Brigades of the 3rd Division.

Colonels of the Regiment

* 2015–2019: Brigadier Andrew Hughes CBE * 2019–Present: Col Richard Charrington

Commanding Officers

Regimental Commanding Officers included: * 2015–2017:

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Marcus J. Mudd * 2017–2019: Lt Col Henry L. Searby * 2019–2021: Lt Col Adam N. B. Foden * 2021–Present: Lt Col Will J. R. Richmond

Order of precedence

The regiment retains order of precedence from the more senior antecedent regiment, the

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'.

Alliances

* – Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) * – 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