Quote:
Originally Posted by Wmr-RHB
I am not British, but I would never have thought that the style of "Royal" could be self given without punishment.  |
Hello Henk,
I am not British either and as such am not well versed on the intricacies of bestowing "Royal" honorariums or patronage and in this case i can say that in the case of the County of Berkshire the "Royal" title was not self-given. The title has something to do with King William IV in the 1830's prior to his death in 1837 allowing the use of "Royal" somewhat unofficially as part of the county title because of the county's close association with the Crown via the town of Windsor and the home of Windsor Castle. Queen Elizabeth II sometime in 1957 or 58 officially sanctioned the use of the title, the Royal County of Berkshire. So, with regard to the use of "Royal" as part of the Berkshire Yeomanry Cavalry has to do with the title of the county and not that the regiment was a royal regiment. The finer detail of which I am not aware can probably best be addressed by the Royal Berks Yeomanry Museum or by a county historian.
David