The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths' Own) Cap Badge: History, Symbolism and Collecting Guide
Introduction
The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths' Own) was formed on 2 May 2015 by amalgamating the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) with The Queen's Royal Lancers.
Its cap badge is one of the most distinctive in the British Army: a skull and crossed bones over two crossed lances, with the words OR GLORY below. Read together, the skull and scroll give the historic motto Death or Glory. Within the regiment the badge is known simply as “The Motto”.
The Death's Head tradition comes through the 17th Lancers, whose regimental device was adopted after the regiment was raised in 1759 in memory of Major-General James Wolfe's death at Quebec. The crossed lances in the modern badge identify the regiment with the wider lancer tradition inherited by both sides of the 2015 amalgamation.
Choose Your Royal Lancers Cap Badge or Display Frame
Formation of The Royal Lancers
The modern regiment brought together two already-amalgamated lancer formations.
The 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) had been formed in 1960 from the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers and 12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's).
The Queen's Royal Lancers had been formed in 1993 by amalgamating the 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers with the 17th/21st Lancers.
Six historic lancer regiments therefore stand behind the modern Royal Lancers. The longest lineage reaches back to 1689 through the 5th (Royal Irish) Lancers:
- 5th (Royal Irish) Lancers;
- 9th Queen's Royal Lancers;
- 12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's);
- 16th (The Queen's) Lancers;
- 17th (The Duke of Cambridge's Own) Lancers;
- 21st (Empress of India's) Lancers.
The “Queen Elizabeths' Own” Title — 2017
The regiment was formed in 2015 simply as The Royal Lancers. On 5 April 2017, Queen Elizabeth II presented the regiment with its new Guidon at Windsor Castle and granted the honorific title Queen Elizabeths' Own.
The honour marked her 70th anniversary as Colonel-in-Chief and recognised the long association of both Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother with the regiment and its antecedents.
The authorised title is The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths' Own), using the spelling and punctuation retained by the British Army today. It is an honorific regimental title granted in 2017 and has continued in use under King Charles III.
Key Dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1689 | The lineage of the 5th (Royal Irish) Lancers begins with Wynne's Enniskillen Dragoons. |
| 1715 | The regiments that later become the 9th and 12th Lancers are raised during the Jacobite rising. |
| 1759 | The future 16th Lancers and Colonel John Hale's regiment, later the 17th Lancers, are raised; Hale adopts the Death or Glory device after Wolfe's death at Quebec. |
| 1760 | An earlier regiment numbered the 21st is raised; several short-lived 21st-designated cavalry units later exist before the lineage of the eventual 21st Lancers is established in India. |
| 1846 | 16th Lancers fight at Aliwal, giving rise to the tradition of crimped lance pennons. |
| 1854 | 17th Lancers take part in the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava. |
| 1858 | The 3rd Bengal European Light Cavalry is raised; this regiment later becomes the 21st (Empress of India's) Lancers. |
| 1898 | 21st Lancers charge at Omdurman. |
| 1922 | 16th/5th Lancers and 17th/21st Lancers are formed in the post-war cavalry reductions. |
| 11 Sep 1960 | 9th and 12th Lancers amalgamate as the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's). |
| 25 Jun 1993 | 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers and 17th/21st Lancers form The Queen's Royal Lancers. |
| 2 May 2015 | The Queen's Royal Lancers and 9th/12th Royal Lancers form The Royal Lancers. |
| 5 Apr 2017 | Queen Elizabeth II presents the Guidon and grants the title Queen Elizabeths' Own. |
| Present | The regiment serves as armoured cavalry in 3rd Deep Reconnaissance Strike Brigade and operates the Ajax armoured fighting vehicle. |
The Death's Head and “The Motto”
The skull-and-crossbones tradition goes back to the regiment raised by Colonel John Hale in 1759. Hale had returned to Britain with news of the victory at Quebec, where Major-General James Wolfe had been mortally wounded.
The new unit was first numbered the 18th Light Dragoons and was renumbered the 17th in 1763. The Death's Head and the words OR GLORY commemorated Wolfe and gave the regiment the expression Death or Glory.
In 1759 this was a regimental device and motto rather than a cap badge in the later Victorian sense. The skull and crossed bones subsequently became the famous headdress badge of the 17th Lancers and, after 1922, the 17th/21st Lancers.
How the Modern Cap Badge Developed
17th/21st Lancers
The 17th and 21st Lancers amalgamated in 1922. The new 17th/21st Lancers retained the Death's Head and OR GLORY. Contemporary Army material described the combined skull, crossed bones and scroll as the regiment's “cap motto”.
The Queen's Royal Lancers
When the 17th/21st amalgamated with the 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers in 1993, the new Queen's Royal Lancers retained the 17th/21st Death's Head and OR GLORY as its beret badge, worn on a scarlet backing inherited from the 16th/5th. Army dress regulations record that pre-2015 pattern as the skull and crossed bones with the motto scroll, without crossed lances.
The Royal Lancers, 2015
The badge adopted by The Royal Lancers places the Death's Head over two crossed lances. The National Army Museum's c.2019 officer's beret badge records the modern form as a skull and crossed bones over two crossed lances, with “Or Glory” below.
The current British Army continues to refer to the badge as The Motto.
What the Badge Represents
The Skull and Crossed Bones
The Death's Head comes from the 17th Lancers tradition and ultimately commemorates Wolfe's death at Quebec in 1759.
OR GLORY
The scroll completes the phrase Death or Glory. This is why the badge is called The Motto rather than merely “the skull and crossbones”.
The Crossed Lances
The crossed lances identify the regiment with the lancer arm and bring that wider identity into the modern 2015 badge. All six principal antecedent regiments eventually formed part of Britain's lancer tradition even though they did not all begin as lancer units.
No Crown on the Beret Badge
The modern Royal Lancers beret badge does not include the Royal Crown or Royal Cypher. Those elements appear on the regiment's Guidon and other ceremonial insignia, but they are not part of the documented beret badge.
Unlike many British Army badges, the modern Royal Lancers beret badge does not change its Crown with the Sovereign because no Royal Crown forms part of the design. Its defining elements remain the Death's Head, crossed lances and OR GLORY.
The Six Principal Antecedent Regiments
The modern regiment carries the histories of six principal lancer regiments:
- 5th (Royal Irish) Lancers — lineage beginning in 1689. The original regiment was disbanded in 1799 and the title was revived in 1858; it amalgamated with the 16th in 1922.
- 9th Queen's Royal Lancers — raised in 1715 and later famous for service in India, including the Indian Mutiny, before amalgamating with the 12th in 1960.
- 12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) — also raised in 1715; its history included the Peninsula, Waterloo and later armoured-car service before the 1960 amalgamation.
- 16th (The Queen's) Lancers — raised in 1759 and especially associated with the charge at Aliwal in 1846.
- 17th Lancers — raised in 1759, source of the Death or Glory device and one of the regiments of the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava.
- 21st Lancers (Empress of India's) — earlier short-lived units had carried the number 21 from 1760, but the regiment that became the 21st Lancers was raised in India in 1858 as the 3rd Bengal European Light Cavalry. It is best known for the charge at Omdurman in 1898.
Those histories passed through the 16th/5th, 17th/21st, 9th/12th and Queen's Royal Lancers into The Royal Lancers in 2015.
Victoria Cross Heritage
The Royal Lancers inherited a substantial Victoria Cross tradition from its antecedent regiments. The awards belong to the regiments in which the recipients served rather than to the post-2015 regiment itself.
The inherited record is extensive. The Royal Lancers Museum records 13 Victoria Crosses awarded to men of the 9th Lancers during the Indian Mutiny; the 17th Lancers received three VCs for Balaklava, and the 21st Lancers three for Omdurman.
Selected examples include:
- Private William Goate VC — 9th (Queen's Royal) Lancers; Lucknow, 6 March 1858.
- Sergeant-Major Charles Wooden VC — 17th Lancers; awarded for helping to save Lieutenant Colonel John Morris after the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava in 1854. Three VCs were awarded to men of the 17th for their actions that day.
- Lieutenant Frederick Brooks Dugdale VC — 5th (Royal Irish) Lancers; South Africa, 3 March 1901, for rescuing wounded men under fire.
- Lieutenant Viscount Fincastle VC — 16th Lancers; Nawa Kili, 17 August 1897.
- Captain Francis Grenfell VC — 9th Queen's Royal Lancers; Mons and Audregnies, 24 August 1914.
- Private Charles Hull VC — 21st Lancers; Shabkadar, 5 September 1915.
Traditions Still Seen Today
Aliwal Pennons
The Army records a tradition that after the Battle of Aliwal in 1846, the 16th Lancers' pennons were so stiff with blood that they stood upright. Modern Royal Lancers ceremonial pennons are therefore crimped sixteen times in commemoration, and half the regiment's pennons on parade are crimped.
The Horse Marines
The regiment also preserves the 17th Lancers' “Horse Marines” tradition. During the regiment's later service in the West Indies, two troops embarked aboard HMS Success when the ship lacked its own complement of Marines. The inherited custom is remembered in the regiment's unusual privilege of remaining seated during the National Anthem.
The Historic Lance
Although the regiment is mechanised armoured cavalry, the lance and pennon remain part of its ceremonial identity and are still carried by detachments on formal occasions.
Operational Service Since 2015
The modern Royal Lancers' operational history begins in 2015. Campaigns and honours before that date belong to its antecedent regiments, even though they form part of the inherited regimental story.
Since formation the regiment has supported NATO and international commitments including deployments in Poland, Kosovo, Cyprus and training support connected with Ukraine. Recent Army reporting records Royal Lancers personnel on peacekeeping duties with KFOR in Kosovo and Operation TOSCA in Cyprus.
The regiment now operates Ajax in the armoured-cavalry reconnaissance role. The Army also records Royal Lancers deployments to Poland on Operation CABRIT as part of NATO's enhanced Forward Presence.
The Regiment Today
The British Army currently lists The Royal Lancers as an armoured cavalry regiment specialising in reconnaissance. It is one of two Armoured Cavalry regiments in 3rd Deep Reconnaissance Strike Brigade.
The regiment operates ahead of the main force, using mounted and dismounted reconnaissance, drones, surveillance systems, sniper teams and anti-tank weapons to find and help strike high-value targets.
The regiment is mounted on the Ajax armoured fighting vehicle. It is currently based at Catterick Garrison; the Army states that it is due to move to Tidworth in summer 2027.
Collecting Royal Lancers Cap Badges
The Modern 2015 Pattern
The modern badge is identified by three elements: the skull and crossed bones, two crossed lances behind it, and OR GLORY below. The Crown and Royal Cypher found on the Guidon are not part of this beret badge.
Officer and Other-Ranks Forms
Different constructions exist according to rank and order of dress. National Army Museum's c.2019 officer example is catalogued as Staybright, cloth and bullion. That is a useful reminder that apparent material quality alone is not a reliable rank test.
Antecedent Badges
Collectors can follow the lineage through the 5th, 9th, 12th, 16th, 17th and 21st Lancers, then through the 16th/5th, 17th/21st, 9th/12th and Queen's Royal Lancers before reaching the 2015 pattern.
Those badges should be catalogued under the regiment that actually wore them rather than retrospectively labelled as Royal Lancers badges.
Originals and Reproductions
When comparing examples, useful evidence includes skull form, lance proportions, OR GLORY lettering, material, reverse fittings, maker's marks, dimensions and provenance, checked against documented service badges.
Frequently Asked Questions
When were The Royal Lancers formed?
2 May 2015, by amalgamating The Queen's Royal Lancers and the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's).
When did the regiment become Queen Elizabeths' Own?
5 April 2017, when Queen Elizabeth II presented the regiment's Guidon at Windsor Castle.
Why are The Royal Lancers still called Queen Elizabeths' Own under King Charles III?
Queen Elizabeths' Own is an honorific regimental title granted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2017, not a description that changes automatically with the reigning monarch. The British Army continues to use the full title The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths' Own) under King Charles III.
Why is the badge called “The Motto”?
Because the skull represents “Death” and the scroll reads “OR GLORY”, together forming the historic motto Death or Glory.
Where does the skull-and-crossbones come from?
It comes through the 17th Lancers tradition and commemorates Major-General James Wolfe's death at Quebec in 1759.
Does the modern cap badge have a Crown?
No. The documented beret badge has the Death's Head, crossed lances and OR GLORY scroll. Crown and Royal Cypher belong to the Guidon and other ceremonial devices.
Did the 9th Lancers take part in the Charge of the Light Brigade?
No. The famous Charge at Balaklava in 1854 involved the 17th Lancers, one of the other antecedent regiments.
What is the regiment's current role?
Armoured cavalry reconnaissance within 3rd Deep Reconnaissance Strike Brigade.
Where is the regiment based?
At Catterick Garrison in 2026, with a move to Tidworth planned for summer 2027.
Further Reading
British Army — The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths' Own) — Current role, traditions, equipment and official title.
National Army Museum — Royal Lancers Officer's Beret Badge, c.2019 — Museum reference for the modern badge.
National Army Museum — 17th Lancers — Origins of the Death or Glory tradition.
Royal Lancers Regimental Association — History of The Royal Lancers
Royal Lancers Regimental Association — 21st Lancers History — the regiment's complex 21st-designation history, Omdurman and inherited Victoria Cross record.
Related Articles
- The 9th/12th Royal Lancers Cap Badge: History, Symbolism and Collecting Guide — one of the two immediate regimental lines that formed The Royal Lancers in 2015.
Officially Licensed Royal Lancers Display Pieces
Precision Military Emblems produces officially MOD-licensed Royal Lancers display pieces from approved artwork.
- The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths' Own) Cap Badge
- The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths' Own) Cap Badge Display Frame
The licensed display emblem reproduces the modern Death or Glory and crossed-lances design; it is a commemorative display piece rather than an original service-issued cap badge.
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.