The
Colonels of each Regiment are appointed
by Her Majesty The Queen.
They additionally hold the title of Gold Stick and are
'in waiting' for which they officiate alternately each month.
The
main duties of Gold Stick are to protect The Sovereign
- usually by attending Her Majesty on Ceremonial Occasions.
Dating
back to 1651, an Officer of The Life Guards always
attended upon the King '. . . from his rising to his going to bed',
and
his badge of office was (and still is) an ebony staff
with a gold head - hence the name, "Gold Stick" -
among the nearest military officers to the
sovereign.
In January
1813, The Duke of Wellington was appointed
as the first Royal Horse Guards (Blues) Gold Stick.
The
Queen conveys any orders, in respect of
the Household Cavalry, to Gold Stick who, in turn,
refers them to the Silver Stick-in-Waiting
to be actioned.
The
Colonels are consulted before any alteration
of Regimental privilege is agreed to, and are kept informed
by Regimental Headquarters of all important matters
affecting their Regiments.
The
present Colonel of The Life Guards is
General The Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank
The
present Colonel of The Blues And Royals is
The Princess Royal
In the
listings of Colonels included within these pages, there are
instances of overlapping (and duplicate dates) of appointments.
This is explained by the fact that, due to disbandments,
amalgamations, and/or mergers, the appointments
of the two Colonels were allowed to continue after
the amalgamation/merging
(usually until death in office).
Silver Stick-in-Waiting; General The Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank - Colonel of The Life Guards
and Gold Stick-in-Waiting; HRH The Princess Royal - Colonel of The Blues And Royals and
Gold Stick-in-Waiting; and senior Officers of the Household Cavalry Regiment.
Photo © Jasper Dalgliesh www.jasperdalgliesh.com.
Lord Michael Fitzalan Howard (2nd, front row) - former Colonel of The Life Guards,
and Sir Desmond Fitzpatrick (4th, front row) - former Colonel of The Blues And Royals,
join with HCMR Officers after another successful Queen's Birthday Parade.
