“Standards and guidons of cavalry will be carried by squadron serjeant-majors. Colours of infantry will be carried by two senior second-lieutenants, but on the line of march all subaltern officers will carry them in turn. “Standards, guidons and colours are not to be altered without the King’s special permission signified through the Army Council. “The consecration of colours will be performed by chaplains to the forces, acting chaplains, or officiating clergymen in accordance with an authorised Form of Prayer. “The standard of cavalry, or the King’s colour of battalions of infantry, is not to be carried by any guard or trooped, except in the case of a guard mounted over the King, the Queen, and Queen Mother, or any member of the Royal Family, or over a Viceroy, and is only to be used at guard mounting, or other ceremonials, when a member of the Royal Family or a Viceroy is present, and on occasions when the National Anthem is appointed to be played; at all other times it is to remain with the regiment. The King’s colour will be lowered to the King, the Queen, the Queen Mother, and members of the Royal Family, the Crown, and Viceroys only.” Special regulations apply to the Brigade of Guards, as follows:— “The colours of the brigade will be lowered to His Majesty the King, Her Majesty the Queen, the Queen Mother, members of the Royal Family, the Crown, Foreign Crowned Heads, Presidents of Republican States, and members of Foreign Royal Families. “The King’s colour is never to be carried by any guard except that which mounts upon the person of His Majesty the King, or Her Majesty the Queen, or the Queen Mother. “The regimental colours will only be lowered to a field marshal, who is not a member of the Royal Family, when he is colonel of the regiment to which the colour belongs. “A battalion with uncased colours meeting the King’s Life Guards or King’s Guard, will pass on with sloped arms, paying the compliment ‘eyes right’ or ‘eyes left’ as required. “A battalion with cased colours or without colours, or a detachment, guard, or relief, meeting the King’s Life Guard or the King’s Guard with uncased standard or colour, will be ordered to halt, turn in the required direction, and present arms; but will pass on with sloped arms, paying the compliment of ‘eyes right’ or ‘eyes left’ as required, if the standard or colour of the King’s Life Guard or King’s Guard is cased.” Two regulations which affect the whole of the Army may well be given in conclusion:— “Officers or soldiers passing troops with uncased colours will salute the colours and the C.O. (if senior). “Officers, soldiers, and colours, passing a military funeral, will salute the body.” CHAPTER II A HISTORY OF MILITARY COLOURS