possibly a german epaulette, need help

[just]

Hello
at first, I thought it was british ??
but, someone says may be: Garde-Dragoner Regiment Königin von Grossbritannien und Ireland
what is your opinion ?
thanks for answers
cordially
Didier

[Chip M]

Didier,

It's the German Garde Dragoner.

Chip

[just]

Hello Chip
thank you
a question : why german Guards use a british cypher and crown ?
I don't really understand
cordially
Didier

[Chip M]

Didier,

Many of the royal families of Europe were related. It was a common practice for some countries to have foreign rulers as honorary colonels in their army's regiments. The Kaiser was the "Chef" of several regiments the British army and in turn, there were German regiments (such as one discussed in this thread), which bore the cypher of their honorary leader.

Just a few of the regimental "Chef" in the German army were, King Umberto of Italy, Tsar Nicholas of Russia, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, and so forth.

One interesting note is that the German army did not remove the cyphers from the shoulder straps of the regiments with hostile foreign rulers until 1917!

Chip