Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, Honorary Colonel, Duke of Connaught’s Royal East Kent Mounted Rifles, 1873-1920
The honorary colonel is the formal head of the regimental family and is responsible for its links to the Crown.
Prince Arthur was born in 1850, Queen Victoria’s third son and seventh of her nine children. He joined the Army in 1867. In 1869-70 he served in Canada on operations against Fenian (Irish republican) raids launched from the USA, his military duty taking priority over personal risk. In 1876 he took command of the Rifle Brigade’s 1st battalion, and then became a major general in 1880.