1st King's Dragoon Guards

1st King's Dragoon Guards
1st King's Dragoon Guards Cap Badge
Active1685–1959
Country England (1685–1707)
 Great Britain (1707–1800)
 United Kingdom (1801–1959)
Branch British Army
TypeCavalry
RoleRoyal Armoured Corps
SizeRegiment
Nickname(s)Bland Dragoons, The KDGs, The Trades Union, The Kings Dancing Girls
MarchQuick: Radetzky March
Slow: The King's Dragoon Guards
Commanders
Ceremonial chiefEmperor Franz Joseph I of Austria

The 1st King's Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army. The regiment was raised by Sir John Lanier in 1685 as the 2nd Queen's Regiment of Horse, named in honour of Queen Mary, consort of King James II. It was renamed the 2nd King's Own Regiment of Horse in 1714 in honour of George I. The regiment attained the title 1st King's Dragoon Guards in 1751. The regiment served as horse cavalry until 1937 when it was mechanised with light tanks. The regiment became part of the Royal Armoured Corps in 1939. After service in the First World War and the Second World War, the regiment amalgamated with the 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) in 1959 to form the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards.