The Young Queen Elizabeth II

More than 70 years ago, on June 7, 1951, the then Princess Elizabeth stood in for her ailing father King GeorgeⅥ to take the salute at ‘Trooping The Colour’ for the very first time. Just one year later, after the death of her father and now Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ, the young monarch once again attended this colourful and spectacular military ceremony and would go on to take part in many more ‘Troopings’ over the following seven decades. As was the custom the Queen herself, from 1952 until 1986, would ride one of her favourite horses and be wearing a specially-designed, dress uniform of one of her 5 regiments of Foot Guards. Depending on which one of her Guards regimental colour was being ‘trooped’ her majesty would wear that particular unit’s dress uniform. This new standing figure of the younger Queen portrays her in the uniform of The Grenadier Guards, the senior regiment of the Foot Guards and founded in 1656. Originally formed as a Royalist regiment to protect King CharlesⅡ they enjoy a long and glorious history of loyalty, service and bravery in defence of country and monarch in countless wars and conflicts. Famous for their flawless drill and combat readiness the Grenadiers continue to this day to be deployed in frontline operations across the globe, most recently in the Middle East and Afghanistan. Their motto is ‘Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense’ which translates as ‘Shame On Him Who Thinks Evil Of it’