Queen meets regiment for first time as Colonel-in-Chief during Catterick visit

The Queen has met a regiment for the first time at Catterick Garrison since she was appointed its Colonel-in-Chief during a visit to North Yorkshire.

Camilla became Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeth’s Own) last June - which was a role last held by the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Camilla at Catterick Garrison (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

During her visit to Catterick, Camilla met serving Royal Lancers and veterans at their barracks, which saw Lord Lieutenant Jo Roper and Colonel of the Regiment, Colonel Richard Charrington, greet her.

Images of the occasion show the regiment performing a royal salute and the Queen was seen inspecting and addressing lancers in a 152-person parade.

Queen Camilla with the Lancers (Image: PA MEDIA)

Armoured vehicles were also on display including the Humber and Dingo from the Second World War that the Queen’s late father would have commanded.

In a speech that the Queen delivered during her visit, she noted her late father's military background and his experiences at Catterick.

Queen Camilla delivers a speech at Catterick (Image: PA MEDIA)

Her speech said: "My fellow lancers, as I approached Catterick this morning on my first visit as your very proud Colonel-in-Chief - I couldn't help but recall my father's description of his initial impression of the 12th lancers when he joined the regiment back in 1937.

"In his memoir, Previous Engagements, he wrote 'everyone was very welcoming and the atmosphere was relaxed.' I was taken under the wing of the Adjutant - as a nicer man has ever lived and a quietly efficient soldier."

A letter written by Queen Camilla's father (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

Alongside the large presence of the lancers, there were also Warrior and Bulldog vehicles present, and the Queen awarded five medals to the regiment.

Later in the visit, Camilla met now-retired Major Phil Watson, who wrote Their Greatest Hour, a book that records the 12th Lancers’ involvement in the 1940 Battle of Dunkirk.

Camilla’s father, Major Bruce Shand, served in the 12th Lancers and won a Military Cross for gallantry during the battle, and she wrote the foreword to Their Greatest Hour.

Read more: 

• 'Kick in the teeth' as bikers who deliver Easter Eggs to sick kids hit with fine

• Two in hospital with 'possible spinal injuries' following crash last night

• Victim of Shildon street attack died from 'unrelated' heart issues days later

Dive into the heart of your community with a digital subscription to The Northern Echo! Click here.

The Royal Lancers is an armoured reconnaissance regiment formed in 2015 when the 9th/12th Royal Lancers and The Queen’s Royal Lancers were amalgamated.

The words “(Queen Elizabeth’s Own)” were later added to reflect the regiment’s association with the late Queen and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

Over the past 12 months, The Royal Lancers have been deployed in Poland as part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence and NATO’s Kosovo Force.