The Coldstream Guards Cap Badge (CapStar): History, Symbolism and Meaning
Introduction
The Coldstream Guards were raised in 1650 and are the oldest continuously serving regiment in the Regular Army. Their familiar Garter Star Capstar reflects the regiment's association with the Most Noble Order of the Garter: after General George Monck's role in the Restoration of Charles II, the King made him a Knight of the Garter in 1660, and the Garter Star became the regiment's distinctive device.
The Capstar consists of an eight-pointed rayed star with the Cross of St George at its centre, enclosed by the Garter bearing Honi soit qui mal y pense. It carries no separate Royal Crown, so unlike many British Army cap badges its basic design does not change from King's Crown to Queen's Crown with each reign.
Choose Your Coldstream Guards Capstar or Display Frame
Who Are the Coldstream Guards?
The regiment was raised in June 1650, when Oliver Cromwell appointed George Monck to command a New Model Army regiment. In late 1659 Monck's men spent several weeks at Coldstream on the Scottish border before marching south on 1 January 1660 during the political crisis that ended the Protectorate. Monck's intervention helped create the conditions for the Restoration of Charles II.
In 1661, Monck's regiment formally laid down its arms and immediately took them up again in Crown service as a Royal Regiment of Foot Guards. After Monck's death in 1670 it became known as the Coldstream Guards.
The Coldstreams are second in the Foot Guards order of precedence. Although formed before the Grenadier Guards, the Grenadiers rank first because their antecedent regiment entered the service of the Crown earlier. The Coldstream motto, Nulli Secundus — “Second to None” — reflects that distinction.
Today the regiment combines light-role infantry with ceremonial duties. The 1st Battalion is based at Windsor and Number 7 Company performs public duties in London.
Key Dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1650 | George Monck is appointed to command the New Model Army regiment from which the Coldstream Guards descend. |
| 1660 | Monck marches his regiment from Coldstream to London and plays a central role in the Restoration. Charles II makes Monck a Knight of the Garter. |
| 1661 | The regiment lays down its Parliamentary arms and immediately enters Crown service as a Royal Regiment of Foot Guards. |
| 1670 | After Monck's death, the regiment becomes known as the Coldstream Guards. |
| 1680 | Tangier becomes the regiment's first battle honour. |
| 1695 | The regiment serves at the Siege of Namur during the Nine Years War. |
| 1815 | Coldstream Guards take part in the defence of Hougoumont at Waterloo. |
| 1854–1856 | Service in the Crimean War, including the Alma and Sevastopol. |
| 1914–1918 | Coldstream battalions serve on the Western Front during the First World War. |
| 1939–1945 | The regiment serves in infantry, tank and armoured roles during the Second World War. |
| 1991 | 1st Battalion serves in the Gulf War; “Gulf 1991” becomes the regiment's most recent battle honour. |
| 1993–1994 | Peacekeeping service in Bosnia. |
| 2005 | The regiment serves in Iraq. |
| 2007; 2009–10 | Operational service in Afghanistan. |
| 2025–26 | The regiment marks its 375th anniversary, receives new Colours from King Charles III and undertakes a UN peacekeeping deployment to Cyprus. |
Origins of the Coldstream Guards Capstar
The regiment's use of the Garter Star is tied directly to George Monck. Following his role in the Restoration, Charles II made Monck a Knight of the Garter in 1660. The Coldstream Guards' own history records that the regiment adopted the Garter Star as its Capstar from that association.
The device is older than the modern cap badge as an item of uniform. National Army Museum collections show the Garter Star in Coldstream insignia on a shoulder-belt plate from about 1830, on cap badges around 1900, and in the established Pattern 1905 other-ranks Capstar.
The Capstar has no separate Royal Crown. Its core form is the eight-pointed Star of the Order of the Garter, with the Cross of St George inside the Garter bearing Honi soit qui mal y pense. It therefore does not require King's Crown and Queen's Crown variants when the Sovereign changes.
The Coldstream Guards Cap Badge: Symbolism and Meaning
The Order of the Garter
The Order of the Garter, founded by Edward III in the fourteenth century, provides the star on which the Coldstream Guards CapStar is based.
The Star of the Order of the Garter
The eight-pointed Star of the Order of the Garter forms the body of the Capstar. It is the regiment's defining device and reflects Monck's admission to the Order after the Restoration.
The Cross of St George
At the centre is the Cross of St George, the emblem of the patron saint of the Order of the Garter. On metal service badges the cross is represented through the form and finish of the badge rather than necessarily through coloured enamel.
The Garter and Motto
Encircling the cross is the Garter bearing Honi soit qui mal y pense, commonly translated as “Shame on him who thinks evil of it”. This is the motto of the Order of the Garter, not the Coldstream Guards' separate regimental motto.
The Regimental Motto: Nulli Secundus
The Coldstream Guards' regimental motto is Nulli Secundus — “Second to None”. It refers to the regiment's second place in Foot Guards precedence despite its earlier date of formation. The words do not appear on the Capstar itself.
Operational Service
The Coldstream Guards' first battle honour is Tangier 1680. The regiment subsequently served in the major European wars of the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and nineteenth-century campaigns including the Crimea and Egypt.
At Waterloo in 1815, Coldstream Guards were among the troops defending Hougoumont, an action that became central to regimental memory. During the First World War, three Coldstream battalions went to France in 1914 and the regiment later served within the Guards Division.
In the Second World War the regiment fought in both infantry and armoured roles. The 1st and 5th Battalions served in the Guards Armoured Division, while the 4th Battalion operated Churchill tanks; Coldstream battalions fought from Normandy through the Netherlands and into Germany.
Post-war service included Palestine, Malaya, Kenya, Aden, Germany and repeated tours in Northern Ireland. 1st Battalion served in the Gulf in 1991, followed by peacekeeping in Bosnia, Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2007 and 2009–10. The regiment remains operational infantry as well as carrying out State ceremonial duties.
Collecting the Coldstream Guards Capstar
Because the design carries no separate Royal Crown, dating Coldstream Capstars depends more heavily on pattern, material, construction, fittings, rank and provenance than on reign.
Documented Patterns
National Army Museum examples provide useful reference points: a gilt other-ranks badge from about 1900; the Pattern 1905 other-ranks badge; a bronzed officer's service-dress badge from about 1935; and an anodised-aluminium other-ranks badge from about 1970.
Officer and Other-Ranks Examples
Officer and other-ranks badges can differ according to order of dress, material and finish. The bronzed 1935 officer example held by NAM was deliberately subdued for khaki service dress, while other-ranks examples are known in gilt and later anodised finishes. These differences are better understood as authorised dress and manufacturing variations than as a simple hierarchy of “quality”.
Fittings and Manufacture
Different reverse fittings occur across periods. The Pattern 1905 badge, for example, reflects changes associated with the Service Dress cap. Fittings can assist dating, but repairs and replacements are possible, so they should be assessed with the complete badge.
Originals and Reproductions
No single feature proves originality. Star proportions, central detail, material, finish, dimensions, reverse fittings and provenance should be compared with documented period examples. Named photographs or service records can provide stronger historical context than apparent wear alone.
Displaying and Preserving the Coldstream Guards CapStar
Original Capstars are best kept in a stable, dry environment away from direct sunlight and major changes in temperature or humidity. Mounting materials should be inert and non-abrasive, and the badge should be handled carefully to avoid unnecessary surface wear.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Coldstream Guards cap badge called a CapStar?
The regiment commonly uses the term Capstar for its star-shaped headdress badge, whose form derives from the Star of the Order of the Garter.
Does the Coldstream Guards CapStar change with the monarch?
No. The core design carries no Royal Crown, so it is not divided into King's Crown and Queen's Crown versions in the way many other British Army cap badges are. Differences between surviving examples are more likely to reflect period, rank, manufacturer, material, construction or fittings.
What does Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense mean?
Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense is the motto of the Order of the Garter and is commonly translated as Shame on him who thinks evil of it.
What is the Order of the Garter?
The Most Noble Order of the Garter is Britain's oldest and most senior order of chivalry, founded by King Edward III in 1348. The Garter Star provides the heraldic basis for the Coldstream Guards CapStar.
Why are the Coldstream Guards second in Foot Guards precedence if they were formed earlier?
The Coldstream Guards were formed in 1650, but the antecedent of the Grenadier Guards entered Crown service before Monck's regiment. The Grenadiers therefore rank first and the Coldstreams second in Foot Guards precedence. Nulli Secundus — “Second to None” — is the Coldstream response to that distinction.
Are Coldstream Guards CapStars rare?
Availability varies greatly by period, construction, rank and provenance. Earlier or well-documented examples can be of particular interest to collectors, but rarity and value should be assessed against comparable authenticated examples rather than assumed from age or appearance alone.
The Capstar in Regimental Identity
The Garter Star connects the regiment directly with George Monck and the Restoration settlement that brought his regiment into Crown service. Unlike badges whose central device changes with the monarch, the Coldstream Capstar has retained the same basic Garter-Star identity through successive reigns.
That continuity makes the badge particularly useful historically: differences between examples tend to reflect period manufacture, rank and order of dress rather than a wholesale change of heraldic design.
Further Reading
- British Army — Coldstream Guards — official information on the regiment's history, role and traditions.
- The Guards Museum — collections and interpretation covering the five regiments of Foot Guards and the Household Division.
- National Army Museum — collections and research resources covering British Army history and military insignia.
- Imperial War Museums — collections relating to the Coldstream Guards in the World Wars and modern operations.
- The National Archives — primary-source military records and regimental documentation.
Officially Licensed Coldstream Guards Emblems & Heritage Displays
Precision Military Emblems produces officially MOD-licensed Coldstream Guards display pieces from approved artwork:
- Coldstream Guards Cap Badge | Officially Licensed — the standalone Coldstream Guards CapStar.
- Coldstream Guards Cap Badge Display Frame | Officially Licensed — the matching heritage display frame.
These are modern commemorative display pieces rather than original service-issued insignia. Intellectual Property of the Secretary of State for Defence is used under licence.
About Precision Military Emblems
Precision Military Emblems produces officially MOD-licensed 3D-printed British military badge display pieces and framed heritage displays in Leicestershire. The Military Heritage series is researched from regimental, museum, government and institutional sources.