Why the British Army's second-oldest regiment is known as Second to None

Countries & Cities · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Formed in 1650, the Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regiment in the British Army. Despite being officially ranked behind the Grenadier Guards in precedence, they adopted the motto Nulli Secundus—Second to None—a clever nod to their actual seniority and their unique history of service to the Crown.

The regiment originated during the English Civil War when Colonel George Monck formed it from existing parliamentary units in August 1650. Its pivotal moment arrived in January 1660, when Monck marched his men from the Scottish border village of Coldstream to London. This march facilitated the restoration of the monarchy under King Charles II. Although the new parliament initially ordered the regiment's disbandment alongside the rest of the New Model Army, the unit proved its indispensability by suppressing an armed mutiny in January 1661. Shortly after, the men symbolically laid down their arms as parliamentary troops and immediately took them up again as a royal regiment.

The regiment's complex relationship with status is rooted in its transition to royal service. Because the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards had entered the service of the Crown earlier, the Coldstream Guards were placed second in the order of precedence. They countered this by adopting the motto Nulli Secundus, reflecting their claim to be older than the senior regiment. This pride is physically manifested on parade, where they always stand on the left of the line. Their combat record is extensive, spanning from the 17th-century wars in Flanders and the suppression of the Duke of Monmouth's rebellion to the Napoleonic Wars and the Crimean War.

Perhaps their most celebrated feat occurred during the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The 2nd Battalion’s light company played a crucial role in defending the chateau of Hougoumont against persistent French assaults. The Duke of Wellington famously credited the success of the entire battle to the closing of the chateau's gates, an action led by Lieutenant-Colonel James Macdonnell and Corporal James Graham. This legacy of resilience remains central to the regiment's identity, commemorated annually in the Sergeants' Mess through the ceremony of Hanging the Brick, which honors the defense of the North Gate.

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