Cadets from Portsmouth Division RMVCC and the Band of RMVCC Gosport took part in a historic service at Portsmouth Cathedral on Thursday 29 October 2026, as the Late Queen’s Colour of the Royal Navy was laid up with full ceremonial honours.
The cadets joined HRH The Princess Royal, the First Sea Lord, senior naval officers and civic leaders for the occasion. It was a morning many of them will remember for the rest of their lives.
The Queen’s Colour is a silk White Ensign embroidered with the Crown and Royal Cypher. It served the Royal Navy from 2003 until 2023, when the King’s Colour replaced it following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
During those twenty years it was paraded at some of the most important moments of the late Queen’s reign. These included her 90th birthday and her Diamond and Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Its new home is Portsmouth Cathedral, where it will hang permanently alongside other historic colours and standards already laid up there.
The day began with a procession along Portsmouth’s High Street, escorting the Colour to the cathedral. Inside, the Colour was saluted and handed over in a carefully choreographed sequence.
The First Sea Lord presented the Colour to HRH The Princess Royal. She passed it to the Archdeacon for the Royal Navy, and the Dean of Portsmouth then laid it on the altar.
The Princess Royal gave a reading from the Book of Romans. The service also included prayers for the King and the Commonwealth and an Act of Remembrance, a fitting moment as Remembrance Sunday approaches.
After the service, our cadets were honoured to meet HRH The Princess Royal and the First Sea Lord.
Among them was Lance Corporal Mariam Smith. “It was really nice to meet her,” she said. The Princess Royal asked Mariam about her ambitions, and Mariam told her she hopes to join the Royal Navy.
Every cadet on parade was a credit to their unit, their family and the Corps.
Our thanks go to every cadet and volunteer who gave their time to be part of such a special day.
In the Volunteer Cadet Corps’ 125th anniversary year, occasions like this show what the Corps is about. Our young people stand proudly alongside the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, carrying their traditions, standards and ethos forward.
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