
A total of thirty-two members of the infantry regiment have died in its service since it was formed in 2006 following the merger of the King's Own Royal Border Regiment, the King's Regiment, and the Queen's Lancashire Regiment.After the unveiling of the statue of the "Lion of England" featured on the regiment's royal badge, the Queen placed a wreath beneath it.
The Queen wiped away tears from her eyes at the unveiling of the memorial to soldiers killed in service.
The rare public display of royal emotion came as the monarch joined wounded veterans and serving personnel from the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment for the ceremony at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
She also hailed the work of the memorial's creators - stonemason Nick Johnson and sculptor Georgie Welch, who crafted the lion from clay before it was cast at a Gloucestershire foundry.
The heraldic lion faces northwest in tribute to the origins of the regiment that recruits in Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester, and of which the Queen is Colonel-in-Chief.
Speaking after the service, Ms Welch, said: "The Queen said it was very lifelike and that it had a real look of power. She also said it looked fearless.
"I was so nervous I couldn't stop my knees shaking, but the Queen was absolutely charming."
No comments:
Post a Comment