Blues and Royals

The Blues and Royals played before and at half time at the Newport County v Burton match as part of the NATO Celabrations here at Newport

HISTORY

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.

Troopers of the Blues and Royals at the Trooping the Colour parade, London, 2007
Formation
The regiment was formed in 1969 from the merger of The Royal Horse Guards, which was known as "The Blues" or "The Oxford Blues", and The Royal Dragoons, which was known as "The Royals".[1]

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. Most recently the regiment saw action in the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan.[1]

Both Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry joined the regiment as cornets in 2006.[2]

Blues and Royals trooper

Changing of the guard at Horseguards
Operational union
As a result of the Options for Change Review in 1991, the Blues and Royals formed a union for operational purposes with the Life Guards as the Household Cavalry Regiment. However, they each maintain their regimental identity, with distinct uniforms and traditions, and their own colonel. The Blues and Royals currently has 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.[3]