The earliest days of the relationship, and the Queen’s Truncheon:
The story of the special bond and relationship between the Nepali Gurkhas and the British monarchy commences at a formal level with Queen Victoria’s institution and presentation of the Queen’s Truncheon in 1863, in place of a Colour, in recognition for the exceptional role and sacrifice the Gurkhas made in the Indian Mutiny, epitomised by a key engagement – the defence of Hindu Rao’s House* – in Delhi (during the four month siege of the city), where the Gurkhas lost 327 out of 490 men. * For reference Hindu Rao was a Hindustani raja (king) who was closely associated with supporting the British Raj in Hindustan.
The Gurkha – British Royal Family relationship appears at first glance only as an honourable, auspicious detail but in fact constitutes a very important feature of both Nepal – UK history, and the history of the Gurkhas, and the British Army’s centuries long special bonds with the British Royal Family. In this section we detail some highlights and aspects of the Royal Family and the Brigade of Gurkhas relationship. Firstly though, reflections back on this from a number of retired and serving Gurkhas, about how the relationship began are important to provide.
The Gorkha Kingdom of Nepal and the British Empire had much in common. Both were monarchies at the peak of expansionist political tides, with their king and queen respectively being linked closely to those expansionist activities. It was only a few short decades since the King of Gorkha led his army to the Kathmandu Valley, established and unified Nepal through by military means, and was soon expanding Nepal’s territory, and consequently on a collision course with the British forces under the East India Company, doing the same.
We have elsewhere in this information resource detailed how ultimately both Nepalis and the British, through combat, came to respect each other on, in terms of military prowess, a more or less equal basis. While it was seemingly impossible to have defeated the British in the Indian Sub-Continent in the 1810’s (the ‘Sepoy Mutiny’ forty years later ultimately indicated that the British could be for all their power, vulnerable to revolt), neither was it deemed practicable to conquer Nepal, turning it into a colony or British ‘protectorate’ (technical name for a foreign controlled territory with some limited autonomy, but real power in the hands of the foreign controlling power): the ferocity and tenacity of the Nepali hill tribes (from whom many Gurkhas were recruited) in particular was far too great to make this feasible.
Moreover, virtually none of Nepal’s core territory had been conquered by the British, only very recently acquitted territories to west and east beyond this. On the other hand, including provision within the Treaty of Sugauli for recruiting soldiery from Nepal, defined the special status of Nepal and in particular the quality of its military being uniquely high. Because the basis of mutual respect was the core dynamic underpinning this provision in the treaty and the subsequent nature of recruitment, where the Gurkha motto of ‘better to die than to be a coward’ was fully demonstrated, and of great service to the British Empire and the British military (navy, and army) that expanded and protected it.
As such ‘honour’ linked to martial prowess and performance, marked the Nepali Gurkha character from the outset in terms of military service. Such prowess and performance reflected upon the Nepali nation and ultimately its ruler, the monarch: these are perspectives that emerged regularly as engagement with retired and serving Nepali Gurkhas took place over the duration of the information gathering phase of the UK Nepali Community Cultural & Social Heritage Project, when former or serving officers and soldiers were asked to reflect on their forbears in the 19th and to some extent much of the 20th, centuries.
The admiration for the Gurkhas of the British queen, Queen Victoria on the basis of not only being the formal head of the British Empire at its zenith, and the spirit of friendship and mutual which commenced from Sugauli, consequently accelerating, was clear from the outset. In spirit, the Gurkhas serving as components of the British Army, saw themselves as honorary British, and as such for the honour of Nepal, its monarch and people, cherished all opportunities to serve with and support the military forces of the British monarch.
The natural respect and admiration for the supreme representative of the aggressively expansionist, focused, highly organised and hierarchical British Empire, the empire’s monarch, by Nepal’s Gurkha soldiery and officers therefore is not a matter to be surprised at in the circumstances.
On the Nepal side, the role of royalty in terms of direct presence, and clearly inspiration to Gurkha soldiery and officers was found in the person of Jung Bahadur Rana (Prime Minister of Nepal) leading the Gurkha forces sent by the King of Nepal to support the East India Company in the Indian Mutiny, specifically at the Siege of Delhi and Relief of Lucknow: Jung Bahadur Rana subsequently became founder of the Rana Dynasty of the the Kingdom of Nepal. This from the valuable history of the Gurkhas museum in Pokhara, Nepal:
It is interesting to note that during the Mutiny, Jangabahadur Rana himself took the field with around 5,800 Nepali soldiers and assisted General Campbell in the relief of Lucknow. In recognition of these services, part of the Terai was restored to Nepal.
Source: http://gurkhamuseum.org.np/history-of-gurkha/
Prime Minister Rana was the first Nepali VVIP leader to visit London (and Paris). This visit taking place in 1850, including three audiences with Her Majesty Queen Victoria. More details on this pivotal figure in the history of 19th Century Nepal can be found at: https://kathmandupost.com/miscellaneous/2018/01/20/jung-bahadurs-love-for-british-guns (which records in particular the Prime Minister’s passion for guns, befitting both his martial and hunting interests) and at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jung_Bahadur_Rana.
Jung Bahadur Rana instituted a 21 gun salute from 24th May 1852 to honour Queen Victoria’s birthday, and when the 83 years old Duke of Wellington (whom Prime Minister Rana met during his 1850 visit to London) died in September that same year, had an 83 minute gun salute (the Duke’s age). The image below is of former Prime Minister with entourage (including British national in ‘Stove Pipe’ hat), subsequently King of Gorkha/Nepal, Jung Bahadur Rana:
Source: British Library Nepal archives – one of the images researched by the UKNFS for the 2016 UKNFS enabled Nepal Art Council Britain – Nepal Bicentenary Exhibition
More information on the Queen’s Truncheon:
The creation and presentation of the Queen’s Truncheon, marked the formal level start of the special connection between the Gurkhas and the British Royal Family. From that time the relationship burgeoned, with in particular of regiments and battalions having title-name and commander in chief direct connections with the monarch or other members of the British royal family.
The history of the Truncheon dates back to the time of the Indian Mutiny when The Sirmoor Battalion (later the 2nd KEO Gurkha Rifles) particularly distinguished itself by holding the Ridge during the siege of Delhi. Here they fought along side the 60th Rifles. During the prolonged action all its officers and 327 of its 490 other ranks became casualties.
For the Battalion’s outstanding service during the Mutiny, Queen Victoria was pleased to grant it a third colour inscribed ‘Delhi’ in English, Hindi and Persian. (The Sirmoor Battalion already held a Queen’s Colour and a black Regimental Colour.) At the same time additional distinctions were awarded to the Battalion. Henceforth, the rank and file were to be known as Riflemen, the title was changed to the Sirmoor Rifle Regiment and the Battalion was authorised to wear the uniform of the 60th Rifles (now The Rifles). The affiliation with The Rifles remains to this day.
It was not considered appropriate for Rifle Regiments to carry colours and uniquely Her Majesty Queen Victoria presented the regiment with the Truncheon to be carried in lieu of this third colour. The Queen’s Truncheon is ‘accorded all the dignities and compliments appropriate to a King’s Colour of Infantry’. Since the Queen’s Truncheon was passed to the Royal Gurkha Rifles it has continued to be held in the greatest reverence. Accordingly all New Recruits continue to be sworn in to the Regiment in the presence of the Queen’s Truncheon.
Source: https://www.gurkhabde.com/history-of-the-queens-truncheon/
The Queen’s Truncheon:
The regiment which later became the 2nd King Edward VII’s Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) was raised in northern India in 1815 as the Sirmoor Battalion, a local corps until 1861 when it became a regular regiment in the Bengal Army. During the Indian Mutiny it distinguished itself when, for more than three months, it held a key post on the ridge which was the main British position during the Siege of Delhi. During that Siege and the assault to capture the City it suffered 327 dead and wounded out of 490 all ranks, and formed a strong affiliation with the 60th Rifles,
Because Rifle Regiments did not carry Colours, the newly titled Sirmoor Rifle Regiment had to stop doing so, which meant that the privilege of carrying a third Colour was lost. To keep the distinction Her Majesty Queen Victoria authorised the replacement of the third Colour by a Truncheon.
The Truncheon, which is about 6 feet high and made of bronze and silver, is carried on parade by the Truncheon Jemadar, whose post was added to the Establishment for the purpose, escorted by two Sergeants and two Corporals. Like a Sovereign’s Colour it is greeted with a Royal salute when it appears
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/OlrZr5X5RZOwqKSMlJlapg
Videos regarding the Queen’s Truncheon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JpRF-pVIg8 — Gurkhas swear oath on Queen’s Truncheon Dec 13, 2011
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S117K92iAac — The Queen’s Truncheon presented to Her Majesty The Queen. Jul 16, 2019
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From late 19th Century to the present – Royal patrons and colonels in chief, Royal comrade in arms, and ceremonial functions associated with royalty:
“When you know you are with the Gurkhas, I think there’s no safer place to be, really.”
HRH Prince Harry, reflection on his service in Afghanistan (2007 – 2008) with the 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles
The second part of this section of the Gurkha component of the UK Nepali community cultural & social heritage project education resource focuses on the development and consolidation of the Gurkha – British Royal Family special relationship from the late 19th Century to 2020, and in the recent decades of this 150+ years period the unique, embedded and honourable role of the Brigade of Gurkhas within ceremonial functions of state, and especially those most closely associated with the British Royal Family.
As such it briefly details an exceptional phenomenon, highlighted in the first part of this section, above: that underlying service by the Nepali Gurkhas to the British State through the British Army in multiple key engagements in mostly geo-politically important conflicts and wars of the British Empire and later UK, was the special relationship of interconnection with the British Monarchy itself, and the mutual respect of queens and kings of England and the King of Gorkha (Nepal). The related values of loyalty, honour, unstinting military ferocity and tenacity are a golden thread within the British – Gurkhas 200+ years very special relationship – a dynamic as live and prospering in 2020, as it was famously in 1815 – 1816 and especially 1858. It cannot be doubted that the medieval times association of royalty with martial valour and leading armies in real battle setting wars (celebrated most famously by Shakespeare in his play ‘Richard II’) spoke, figuratively speaking, directly to the martial spirit of the King of Nepal (Gorkha) and especially his source of power, the Gorkha Army, largely drawn from Nepal’s doughty hill tribes. This martial spirit coalesced in the spirit in which military service was provided as a unique, but formal part of the British Army, and continues to this day.
The UKNFS was enthusiastically referred by retired and serving Gurkhas to a number of sources felt to be of value for their quality and contributions & coverage regarding the topics of this section, especially the Gurkha Welfare Trust (GWT), beyond and taking prompt from that guidance, UKNFS project team members made valuable secondary research. We start with the section’s topics Commander in Chief (C in C) theme and conclude with some other representative examples of Gurkha – British Monarchy direct connections, and the unique role of the Gurkhas in ceremonial, capacities.
The institution of the Queen’s Truncheon was followed in 1876 by the [Gurkha] Sirmoor Rifles Regiment having as it’s Patron His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII). Today, from 1977 to the present, the successor of the Sirmoor Rifle Regiment and other regiments of Gurkha rifles, which from 1994 combined to become the Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR), is HRH Prince Charles, Prince of Wales. The Gurkha Welfare Trust (GWT) provided a valuable online news article on Gurkha – British royal family special links on the 28th August 2018, on the GWT website in regard to HRH Prince Charles, current Prince of Wales and with decades of history of formal relations and certainly on an informal, individual/personal basis the most warm respect for the Gurkhas on human as well as military service fronts, as expressed in the quote below:
The Prince of Wales’ link to the Royal Gurkha Rifles dates back to 1977 when he became Colonel-in-Chief of the 2nd King Edward VII’s Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles).
At a ceremony held in Buckingham Palace last year, speaking to around 150 soldiers and their family members present in the palace, the Prince said:
“Your forefathers would be most proud of you here today, continuing to demonstrate the traditions and achievements that together ensure the worldwide reputation of the Gurkhas as the best soldiers.”
Source: https://www.gwt.org.uk/news/royal-family-gurkhas/
In 1949 the 10th Gurkha Rifles were formally renamed as the 10th Princess Mary’s Own Gurkha Rifles (one of the components of Gurkha Rifles that later in 1994 were to become the Royal Gurkha Rifles), evidencing further the Gurkhas and British Royal Family relations (Princess Mary had provided outstanding support for the British nation and people in the Second World War).
Regarding direct Nepal, Royal Family connections via the Gurkhas, particularly via the Gurkha Welfare Trust (GWT: https://www.gwt.org.uk/) whose Patron is HRH The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, two particularly memorable events beyond direct British Army service contexts, celebrating direct Nepal to UK special connection of the British royal family at direct personal level by very senior members of Britain’s royal family. The first of these events was the visit to Nepal in 1993 of HRH Princess Diana, the Princess of Wales, and the second, the visit of Princess Diana’s son, HRH, Prince Harry, to Nepal in March 2016 — famously, Prince Harry decided to stay on in Nepal for some days extra beyond the planned span of his visit.
Both royal visits facilitation and support on itinerary of each visit saw the Gurkha Welfare Trust taking a central role, including particularly visits to locations were the Trust’s work in Nepal takes place. For example, in the case of HRH the Princess of Wales in her Nepal visit in 1993 this included to the GWT centre in greeted in Terhathum (Eastern Nepal), and for Prince Harry visiting GWT building projects for retired Gurkhas and Gurkha widows in March 2016. We understand that the personal communication and engagement for which HRH Princess Diana was so famous across the world as well as the UK — and especially with the isolated and marginalised, and diverse/minority communities facing greater needs and often overlooked or at operational level, minimally supported and engaged with by state mechanisms – earned great respect and warmth during her Nepal visit.
Many years later, one of her two sons, HRH Prince Harry came to Nepal in 2016, the land of the Gurkhas, and did so after shoulder to shoulder, and in some cases life or death level comradeship in key engagement activity in the fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan in the 2007 – 2008 period. In the 2016 visit the prince travelled to many locations associated with the Gurkhas, including Pokhara, — Nepal’s most beautiful city on the shores of Lake Phewa in the shadow of Fishtail Mountain – famous as the gathering point for Gurkha recruitment and final phases of the formidable endurance training required to qualify for joining the British Army Gurkha regiments. This was of course less than a year on from the terrible earthquake of 25th April 2015 that hit Gorkha and many towns and villages where Gurkha recruits and potential recruits and their families lived, such as Lamjung district (where he met the staff and pupils of for example Shree Gaunda School which had, had to be completely rebuilt after its destruction in 2015).
As such the humanity, readiness to spend as much unrushed time as possible with the communities he visited, in company with former Gurkha comrades of from the Afghan conflict of 2007, endeared the prince to not only all those he met in person, but to the whole of Nepal.
Certainly, it cannot be doubted that the young prince would on learning of his mother, the Princess of Wales visit to Nepal and connection through it with that land and the illustrious Gurkhas would have been remembered ahead of Prince Harry’s service in the field with the Gurkhas in the 2007 – 2008 period, with the RGR presence within the British Army’s contribution to the Afghanistan, Taliban containing intervention.
To a certain extent at a personal level, Prince Harry’s visit was a pilgrimage in honour of the time he spent fighting alongside and providing active fighting support alongside the Gurkhas at that earlier time in Afghanistan: he was on his Nepal visit, accorded the exceptional distinction of being made an honorary Gurkha for the action he provided in the field. According to the protocols of such a very rare honour being granted, this was given for that service NOT because he was a member of the British Royal Family, but because of actual military service in the field of a standard required of Gurkhas themselves, and of course in the fighting with the Taliban attacking his Gurkha held post, he had contributed to saving Gurkha lives.
The year 2015 also marked the Bicentenary of Nepal – Britain friendship and special relations, the most famous product of which was the British Army and the Nepali Gurkhas dynamic within the history of the British Army and broader British history over two centuries.
2015 was the bicentenary of the Gurkhas fighting alongside Great Britain – 200 years of courageous and loyal service in the British Army. To celebrate this momentous milestone, amongst other members of the Royal Family, The Queen attended the G200 pageant in London in recognition of all that the Gurkhas have done for Britain.
Source: https://www.gwt.org.uk/news/royal-family-gurkhas/
Ceremony:
From 1954, Queen Elizabeth made permanent the practice of having two Gurkha Officers as ‘Queen’s Gurkha Orderly Officers’: these two officers are rotated on an annual basis. These two Gurkha officers attend functions at Her Majesty’s side to this day – a symbolic and poignant dimension of British royal family ceremony and recognition of the unique British Royal Family – Nepal, through the British Army Gurkhas, relationship.
On public duty ceremonial fronts the early years of the 21st Century saw new and subsequent extensive services being undertaken by different sections of the Royal Brigade of Gurkhas, undertaken. These including 248 Squadron (Queens Gurkha Signals) following in the footsteps of 250 Squadron ten years earlier, mounting the Guard at the Tower of London, and on 23rd August 2007 the Squadron delivered their first Queens Guard on parade at Buckingham Palace. In terms of ceremonial duties the Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas has enjoyed a particularly important perennial role – more information on the Band is provided in its section of this information resource.
Regimental anniversaries: these annual events are memorable ones of great importance to all sections of the Brigade of Gurkhas, as we learned with great happiness and pride, for example from Captain Gopal Saru (Blandford Camp, QGS) on the particularly important and auspicious occasion in 2019 of the 70th Anniversary of the Queens Gurkha Signals which he attended at the regimental Headquarters of Bramcote.
The ultimate example of the Gurkha role within royal ceremony, of course came in 2018 on the auspicious occasion of the Royal Marriage, when HRH Prince Harry wed Ms Megan Markle at Windsor Castle on 19th May 2018. On this special, historic day as all will be aware the Gurkhas participation was particularly conspicuous, and included a Guard of Honour comprised of soldiers and officers of the Royal Gurkha Rifles, and invitees including those who had served with Prince Harry in Afghanistan. This from the Gurkha Welfare Trust (GWT):
Amongst the Gurkhas involved was Captain Chandra Bahadur Pun who served with Prince Harry in Afghanistan. His Royal Highness actually stopped to shake hands with Chandra and introduce him to Prince William before entering the ceremony. Captain Jiwan Gurung, who was also a part of the day spoke about being part of the RGR guard for the Royal Wedding.