King Charles presents new colours to Irish Guards

King Charles presented new Colours to No 9 and No 12 Company of the Irish Guards at Windsor Castle on 10 June 2024, according to a press release from the British Army.

The ceremonial event featured the Band of the Irish Guards, led by the Regimental Mascot, an Irish wolfhound named Turlough Mor, affectionately known as Seamus.

The mascot and the band marched the troops into the castle in front of 200 friends and family members. The old Colours were retired, and the new Colours were laid on a drum stack altar, emulating historical battlefield ceremonies.

The King, dressed in the frock coat of an Army Field Marshal, was accompanied by Major General Sir Christopher Ghika KCVO, CBE, the Regimental Lieutenant Colonel of the Irish Guards. The ceremony included the consecration of the new Colours, comprising a Regimental Colour and the King’s Colour, by the Chaplain General.

“It has been a remarkable eighty-four years since my grandfather, King George VI, presented new Colours to the Second Battalion Irish Guards in Wellington Barracks during the opening months of the Second World War,” said King Charles. He reflected on the legacy and historic customs of the Irish Guards, praising their recent achievements in counterterrorism operations in Iraq, security efforts in Africa, and support during the Covid pandemic.

The new Colours will be carried during the Trooping the Colour parade in London on 15 June. Lieutenant Harry Winterbottom will carry the King’s Colour, made of silk damask with gold-thread embroidery and the star of the Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick at its centre.

The Regimental Colour, used for duties such as the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, is embroidered with the number 12, representing 11 forebear Company badges, and a flaming castle. The Regiment has been awarded 52 Honorary Distinctions, 21 of which appear on the Colours.