Blues and Royals

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The Blues and Royals are a British Army regiment and are part of the Household Cavalry.

The regiment was formed in 1969 from the merger of The Royal Horse Guards who were known as "The Blues" and The Royal Dragoons who were known as "The Royals".

Since then, the new regiment has served in Northern Ireland, Germany and Cyprus. During the Falklands War of 1982, the regiment provided the two armoured reconnaissance troops. The Regiment also had a squadron on operational duty with the United Nations in Bosnia in 1994/1995.

As a result of the Options for Change Review in 1991, the Blues and Royals were amalgamated for operational purposes with the Life Guards to form the Household Cavalry Regiment. However they maintain their regimental identity, with distinct uniforms and traditions, and their own colonel. The Blues and Royals currently have two reconnaissance squadrons in Windsor, which are part of the Household Cavalry Regiment and a mounted squadron in London as part of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.

The Blues and Royals is one of two regiments of the Household Division that can trace its lineage back to the New Model Army, the other being the Coldstream Guards.

The Colonel-in-Chief is Her Majesty The Queen and the Colonel is HRH The Princess Royal. HRH Prince Harry of Wales joined the regiment as a cornet in 2006.

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