, first Colonel of the regiment During the 1688
Glorious Revolution,
William Cavendish, later Duke of Devonshire, raised a troop of horse to provide an escort for
Princess Anne, younger daughter of
James II. After James fled into exile, a number of independent troops were brought together to form '''Lord Cavendish's Regiment of Horse'''. , Colonel 1720–1749 During the
Williamite War in Ireland, it fought at the
Battle of the Boyne in July 1690, before moving to
Flanders in 1692 to serve in the
Nine Years' War. It took part in the action at Dottignies in July 1693 and the
siege of Namur in July 1695, before the war ended with the 1697
Treaty of Ryswick. Saved from disbandment by being transferred onto the Irish establishment, it served in Europe throughout the
War of the Spanish Succession, fighting at
Blenheim,
Elixheim,
Ramillies and
Malplaquet. After the 1713
Treaty of Utrecht it returned to Ireland, where in 1720,
French Huguenot exile and future
Field Marshal John Ligonier took over as colonel, a position he held for 29 years. Under his command, the unit gained a reputation as one of the best trained and efficient units in the British army; between 1742 and 1747, 37 members of the regiment received battlefield commissions for distinguished service, a record 'without parallel for the period.' As late as 1913, recruits were still taught about Ligonier, while his personal crest and motto were borne by every member of the regiment. Sent back to Flanders in 1742 for the
War of the Austrian Succession, the regiment fought in the battles of
Dettingen and
Fontenoy. At
Lauffeld in July 1747, it took part in a famous charge led by Ligonier that allowed their infantry to escape what was an Allied defeat. After the 1748
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, it returned to garrison duty in Ireland. In the army reforms of 1747, it was ranked as the 4th Regiment of Horse, or the "Black Horse". It remained in Ireland until July 1760, when it fought at
Warburg, during the
Seven Years' War. In 1788, it was retitled '''7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards''', after
Princess Charlotte. It remained in Ireland and England throughout the
wars with France and helped suppress the
1798 Irish Rebellion. During the Victorian era, it was sent to South Africa in 1843, where it remained until after the
1846–1847 Xhosa War. Before leaving, the regiment was rearmed with a version of the
Brunswick rifle: despite the shortcomings of this weapon, it dismounted to fight as infantry so frequently that on its return to England the
Inspector-General of Cavalry recommended that additional infantry officers be drafted into the regiment. In 1857, it was posted to
India, returning home in 1867 where it remained until the 1882
Anglo-Egyptian War. Following the outbreak of the
Second Boer War in late 1899, the regiment was again sent abroad for service in
South Africa. A total of 24 officers and 500 men left
Southampton aboard on 8 February 1900. The regiment fought at the
Battle of Diamond Hill in June 1900. The regiment, which had been serving in
Secunderabad at the start of the
First World War, landed in
Marseille as part of the
9th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade in the
1st Indian Cavalry Division in October 1914 for service on the
Western Front. A squadron from the regiment rode ten miles to capture the town of
Lessines on 11 November 1918 shortly before the
armistice. It was re-titled as the '''7th Dragoon Guards (Princess Royal's)''' in 1921, and was amalgamated with the
4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards, to form the
4th/7th Dragoon Guards in 1922. ==Regimental museum==