The Green Howards Cap Badge: History, Symbolism and Meaning

Introduction

The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment) traced their history to a regiment raised by Francis Luttrell in November 1688. The regiment served for more than three centuries before becoming part of The Yorkshire Regiment in 2006.

Its later cap badge was closely tied to Princess Alexandra of Denmark. After she presented new Colours to the regiment in 1875, her association was reflected in the regiment's title and insignia. National Army Museum describes the badge designed by Alexandra as incorporating the Dannebrog, or Cross of Denmark, her personal A cypher and her Princess's coronet. The date 1875 commemorates the start of that association.

The badge therefore reflects a specific royal and Danish connection rather than generic “Yorkshire symbolism”.

Why Were They Called The Green Howards?

In the 1740s there were two regiments in the same army whose colonels were named Howard. To distinguish them, the colour of their uniform facings was added to the name.

Charles Howard's regiment had green facings and became known informally as Howard's Greens or the Green Howards. The other regiment, with buff-coloured facings, became known as the Buff Howards and later the Buffs.

When regiments were numbered in 1751, the Green Howards became the 19th Regiment of Foot, but the nickname survived. The exact administrative date on which “Green Howards” became part of the official title is treated slightly differently by authoritative sources: the Green Howards Museum's main timeline gives 1920, while National Army Museum and another Museum account place formal recognition in 1921. It is safest to describe the change as the 1920–21 re-titling, with the name firmly established in official Army use by 1921.

From the 19th Foot to The Green Howards

The regiment was raised in Somerset to support William of Orange during the Glorious Revolution. It fought in Ireland and Flanders before becoming the 19th Foot in 1751.

In 1782 it received a North Riding of Yorkshire county association and became the 19th (1st Yorkshire North Riding) Regiment of Foot. That Yorkshire identity remained central for the rest of its existence.

Princess Alexandra's presentation of new Colours in 1875 created another lasting association. The regiment subsequently incorporated her Danish and personal devices into its insignia and title. Under the 1881 reforms it became The Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment), and after Alexandra became Queen Consort in 1902 the title changed again.

By the early 1920s the long-standing Green Howards nickname had become part of the official title: The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment).

Key Dates

Date	Event
1688	Francis Luttrell raises the regiment during the Glorious Revolution.
1744	Charles Howard's green-faced regiment acquires the Green Howards nickname.
1751	The regiment becomes the 19th Regiment of Foot.
1759	The 19th Foot fights at Minden, a battle retained in regimental commemoration.
1782	The regiment gains its North Riding of Yorkshire county designation.
1799	Service at Seringapatam during the Fourth Mysore War.
1875	Princess Alexandra presents new Colours, beginning the royal association commemorated in the later cap badge.
1881	The regiment becomes The Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment).
1902	The title changes to Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment).
1920–21	Green Howards becomes part of the regiment's official title.
1942	King Haakon VII of Norway becomes Colonel-in-Chief, continuing the Scandinavian royal connection.
2004	The regiment serves in Afghanistan on its final major independent overseas operation.
2006	The Green Howards amalgamate with The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire and The Duke of Wellington's Regiment to form The Yorkshire Regiment.

The Green Howards Cap Badge

The cap badge most closely associated with the regiment's later history was designed around Princess Alexandra's connection with the regiment.

The Dannebrog Cross

The intertwined cross in the badge is the Dannebrog, or Cross of Denmark, reflecting Alexandra's Danish birth.

Alexandra's A Cypher

The letter A is Alexandra's personal cypher. It should not be treated as a generic initial for “Army”, “Alexandra Regiment” or any other later interpretation.

The Princess's Coronet

The device above the cypher is Alexandra's Princess's coronet. It is not the Sovereign's Crown. That matters when dating and describing surviving badges.

The Date 1875

The date 1875 records the year Alexandra first became formally associated with the regiment when she presented new Colours. It is not the regiment's formation date and should not be read as such.

When Was the Badge Introduced?

The Alexandra association began in 1875, but surviving evidence is better for the later nineteenth-century development of the badge than for a single dramatic “adoption day”.

Green Howards Museum documentation for an 1881–99 tunic states that Alexandra designed the new badge and records the pattern as taken into wear in 1883. National Army Museum's officer example of about 1904 confirms the Dannebrog cross, A cypher, Princess's coronet and 1875 date in an established cap-badge form.

The design was not entirely static. The Green Howards Museum notes that cap badges changed over the years and preserves examples from 1872 to 2006. A short-lived Brodrick-cap-era badge, for example, surrounded the familiar Alexandra devices with a wreath of roses.

No King's Crown or Queen's Crown Variants

The defining upper device of the Green Howards badge is a Princess's coronet, not the Crown of the reigning Sovereign.

The ordinary Green Howards cap badge therefore should not be divided into “King's Crown” and “Queen's Crown” versions in the way a Royal Artillery, RAMC or Royal Engineers badge might be. Changes between Green Howards patterns are better understood through period, rank, material and construction.

Regimental Service

The Green Howards served in numerous campaigns from the seventeenth century to the early twenty-first. The purpose of a cap-badge article is not to reproduce every battle honour, but several periods explain the regiment's identity particularly well.

The 19th Foot fought in Flanders, the Seven Years War and the American War of Independence before campaigning in India, including Seringapatam in 1799.

During the First World War the regiment expanded dramatically. 2nd Battalion served throughout on the Western Front, while other Green Howards battalions fought in several theatres. The regiment's memorial in Richmond records the enormous human cost of that war.

In the Second World War, 1st Battalion fought in France and Norway before later serving in the Middle East, Italy and Germany. 2nd Battalion served in India and fought in Burma. Other Green Howards battalions were closely associated with the North African and North-West European campaigns, including D-Day.

After 1945 the regiment served in Sudan, Malaya, Egypt, Cyprus, Germany, British Honduras, Libya, Northern Ireland, West Berlin and the Falkland Islands. Later deployments included Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan in 2004.

Norwegian Royal Connection

The Scandinavian link created through Alexandra continued long after her death. In 1942, her son-in-law King Haakon VII of Norway became Colonel-in-Chief of the Green Howards.

His son King Olav V and grandson King Harald V continued the association. The regiment even used a competition tradition in which the winning company could carry the name and tactical-recognition flash of the Norwegian Colonel-in-Chief.

This Norwegian royal connection is part of the regiment's later identity but should not be confused with the Danish symbolism of Alexandra's cap badge.

From The Green Howards to The Yorkshire Regiment

In 2006, the Green Howards amalgamated with The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire and The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) to form The Yorkshire Regiment.

The Green Howards became the lineage of 2nd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment. That battalion was later removed from the Order of Battle under Army 2020 restructuring.

The current Royal Yorkshire Regiment continues to preserve Green Howards heritage, most visibly in the Brunswick-green backing used behind the modern Yorkshire cap badge.

Collecting Green Howards Cap Badges

Alexandra Pattern

The key identifying elements are the Dannebrog cross, Alexandra's A cypher, the Princess's coronet and the date 1875. Their proportions and surrounding detail vary between patterns.

Early and Transitional Patterns

The regiment's badge history did not begin with one unchanging twentieth-century design. Late-Victorian and Edwardian patterns, including the short-lived Brodrick-cap period, can differ significantly and should be dated against museum examples rather than forced into one “standard badge” category.

Officer and Other-Ranks Examples

Officer and other-ranks badges can differ in construction, material and finish. National Army Museum's c.1904 officer badge is a useful authenticated reference. Rank should not be assigned merely because one example appears finer or more ornate.

No Reign-Based Crown Test

The Princess's coronet is not a Sovereign's Crown. A Green Howards badge should not be dated simply by trying to decide whether the upper device looks like a King's Crown or Queen's Crown.

Originals and Reproductions

No single feature proves originality. Cypher shape, Dannebrog detail, coronet, date, dimensions, material, reverse fittings and provenance should be assessed together and compared with documented museum patterns.

Frequently Asked Questions

When were The Green Howards raised?

In November 1688, by Francis Luttrell in support of William of Orange.

Why were they called The Green Howards?

During the 1740s two regiments were commanded by colonels named Howard. Charles Howard's regiment had green facings and became known as the Green Howards; the other became the Buff Howards.

When did Green Howards become the official title?

Authoritative sources differ slightly between 1920 and 1921. The name entered the formal title during the 1920–21 re-titling and was established in Army use by 1921.

Who designed the famous cap badge?

Princess Alexandra of Denmark, later Queen Alexandra.

What do the main badge elements represent?

The Dannebrog cross represents Alexandra's Danish background, the A is her personal cypher, the coronet is her Princess's coronet, and 1875 marks the beginning of her association with the regiment.

Does the badge have King's Crown and Queen's Crown variants?

No in the normal collecting sense. The upper device is a Princess's coronet rather than the reigning Sovereign's Crown.

When did The Green Howards cease to exist as a separate regiment?

In 2006, when they became part of The Yorkshire Regiment.

Where is the regimental museum?

The Green Howards Museum is in Richmond, North Yorkshire, and holds the regiment's extensive archive and badge collection.

Further Reading

• Green Howards Museum — Regimental History

• Green Howards Museum — Timeline

• National Army Museum — The Green Howards

• National Army Museum — Green Howards Officer's Cap Badge, c.1904

• Green Howards Museum — Eden's Tunic and the Alexandra Badge

Officially Licensed Green Howards Display Pieces

Precision Military Emblems produces officially MOD-licensed Green Howards display pieces from approved artwork.

• The Green Howards Cap Badge — Full Colour
• The Green Howards Cap Badge — Silver & Black
• The Green Howards Cap Badge Display Frame — Full Colour
• The Green Howards Cap Badge Display Frame — Silver & Black

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.