The Queen’s Lifeguard Regiment of Foot

Flag Illustration 1	1)
Active	1643 to 1645
Country	England
Allegiance	Royalist
Conflicts	First Civil War
Type	Foot
Colonel	Queen Henrietta Maria
Area Raised	North
Coat Colour	Red
Flag Colour	Red?
Flag Design	Gold Fleur de Lis?
Field Armies	Oxford 1643-5

Royalist Regiment of Foot raised as the Queen’s Lifeguard in the North including French volunteers. Accompanied the Queen South to reinforce the Oxford Army

• July: Storm of Burton on Trent
• Garrison of Oxford

• Garrison of Oxford
• July: Relief of Greenland House (det)
• August: Battle of Lostwithiel (det)
• September: Relief of Basing House (det of 100 musketeers)
• October: Relief of Banbury
• October: Second Battle of Newbury (det)
• November: Relief of Donnington
• Garrison of Campden House, brigaded together with Sir Henry Bard's Regiment of Foot

• May: Storm of Leicester
• June: Battle of Naseby

There is an online history of the regiment by Bob Giglio at the ECWSA website

The Queen's regiment wore red coats, noted in early 1644.

They might have carried a red flag with gold crowned fleur de lis (Illustrated above) that was captured by Essex's army and illustrated by Turmille. Unfortunately this cannot be proven as the regiment to which the flag belonged was not recorded ²⁾. The flag has been associated with the Queen's Lifeguard on stylistic grounds, showing both Royal and French symbols. It is probably the Colonel's colour.

They were issued 262 muskets from Weymouth by February 1644.³⁾

Queen Henrietta Maria was nominal commander of the regiment, no Colonel has been identified, so likely the regiment was led in the field by Lt Col Gerard and later Lt Col Thomas.