It’s going to be another momentous year for 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, alongside the Band of the Welsh Guards, as they prepare for His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort’s Coronation in May.
Once again the eyes of the world will be on the United Kingdom and the British Army’s soldiers will be playing a leading role in the proceedings.
The Major General Commanding the Household Division, Christopher Ghika CBE has conducted the last of this year’s annual inspections to confirm the soldiers of 1st Battalion Welsh Guards are fit to conduct State Ceremonial and Public Duties, at Combermere Barracks, Windsor.
It’s been a busy time for the Welsh Guards, for the past two years they have been persistently engaged on operations.
In 2021 they deployed to the Falkland Islands, Nigeria and Kenya, with members of the Prince of Wales’s Company going on operational tour in Iraq on Op Shader, the UK’s contribution to the US led mission to counter Daesh by advising, supporting and working alongside local forces.
Other members of the Battalion deployed to Africa on Op Cordred as part of the MOD’s ongoing mission to counter endangered wildlife poaching operations.
In 2022 and 2023 they continued their operational activities, delivering training to Ukrainian volunteers and in February this year 106 soldiers of No. 2 Company of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards arrived in Kingston, Jamaica to take part in Exercise Red Stripe. Where they deployed into the jungles of the foothills beneath Jamaica’s Blue Mountains on a specialist overseas training exercise in conjunction with members of the Jamaican Defence Force (JDF).
Many members of the Battalion know the King personally from his time as their Royal Colonel whilst he was the Prince of Wales.
They will want to make the King’s Birthday Parade outstandingly good out of respect for him and their personal connection to the monarch alongside their strong links to the principality.
The Major General’s Inspection of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards this year, is less of a test to see if they meet the standard and more of a taste of the hard won excellence they are looking to once again put on display this summer.
The Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort will take place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6th May, 2023.
