Remembering Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
/As we mourn the loss of our much loved and respected monarch, we remember the Queen’s longstanding affection for the Brigade of Gurkhas and the special bond she had with the Gurkhas during her reign.
“Her Royal Highness was a most valued supporter of our work, even opening Sandringham Estate for a recent fundraiser on our behalf. The Gurkha Welfare Trust extends its deepest condolences to the Royal Family and our Patron, HM King Charles lll, at this terribly sad time.”
Al Howard, CEO of The Gurkha Welfare Trust.
The Queen and the Brigade of Gurkhas, through the years
The Royal Family has a long association with the Gurkhas, dating back to Queen Victoria, who established a group of Gurkha Orderly Officers to attend to the Sovereign in 1876. In 1954, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II reintroduced this practice by commanding that two Gurkha Officers should be nominated annually as ‘The Queen’s Gurkha Orderly Officers’ (QGOOs). The Queen insisted on having QGOOs by her side at public events and official functions.
October 1960: The Queen, accompanied by King Mahendra of Nepal, reviews the Brigade of Gurkhas at Buckingham Palace. Photo courtesy of The British Army.
June 1962: Her Majesty presenting the Royal Pipe Banners for both Battalions at Buckingham Palace. Photo courtesy of 6th Gurkha Rifles Regimental Association.
December 1972: Queen Elizabeth II attends the premiere of Alice in Wonderland in London, held in aid of The Gurkha Welfare Trust.
1978: The Queen visits the Battalion in Church Crookham. Photo courtesy of 6th Gurkha Rifles Regimental Association.
1993: Her Majesty the Queen presents the Queen’s Medal to Lt (QGO) Dharmendra Gurung in Bisley. Photo courtesy of 6th Gurkha Rifles Regimental Association.
2011: Queen Elizabeth inspects Gurkha soldiers in the south of England.
The Queen attends the G200 Pageant
In 2015, we held a celebration of 200 years of the Gurkhas’ courageous and loyal service in the British Army. To celebrate this momentous milestone, amongst other members of the Royal Family, The Queen attended the G200 pageant in London in recognition of all that the Gurkhas have done for Britain.
The Queen attends the G200 Pageant. Photo credits: Johnny Fenn Photographer and Tom Falkenburg Photography
The Queen’s Truncheon Presentation
In 2019, to mark the 25th Anniversary of the formation of The Royal Gurkha Rifles, the RGR formally presented The Queen’s Truncheon to Her Majesty the Queen in a private ceremony inside Buckingham Palace.
The Queen then presented two of her Queen’s Gurkha Orderly Officers with their Royal Victorian Order medals (MVO), in recognition of their services to the Royal family during their tenure over the last 12 months.
Her Majesty had said that it was a pleasure to see The Queen’s Truncheon again, which resides in the safe custody of The Royal Gurkha Rifles.
Photo courtesy of The Gurkha Brigade Association
