The Blues & Royals

The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons)
Badge of the Blues and Royals
Active	29 March 1969–present
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Horse Guards
Role	Armoured reconnaissance/Ceremonial
Size	One regiment of three squadrons
Part of	Household Cavalry
Garrison/HQ	RHQ – London Regiment – Windsor/London
Nickname(s)	The Tin Bellies
Motto(s)	Honi soit qui mal y pense (Evil be to him who evil thinks)
March	Quick – Quick March of the Blues and Royals Slow – Slow March of the Blues and Royals Trot Past – Keel Row
Commanders
Colonel-in-Chief	Queen Elizabeth II
Colonel of the Regiment	HRH The Princess Royal KG KT GCVO GCStJ QSO
Insignia
Tactical Recognition Flash
Arm Badge	Waterloo Eagle from Royal Dragoons (1st Dragoons)
Abbreviation	RHG/D

The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) (RHG/D) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. The Colonel-in-Chief is Queen Elizabeth II and the Colonel of the Regiment is Anne, Princess Royal. It is the second-most senior regiment in the British Army.

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 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".

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 1994–95. Most recently, the regiment saw action in the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan.

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