Royal Air Force, Royal Marines, Royal Navy -

[Felix/FFDS]

but British ARMY?

I know there has to be a (British) logic to the fact that the British Army is not "Royal" but I haven't been able to find out the histroy behind it.  Can someone point me to where I can read up on it?

I can venture that "way back when" the land armies were raised and paid for by local lords, etc., and more "territorial" in nature.  Since these forces were not the  "King's" forces but rather were directly subordinate to the Duke, Baron, Earl, whatever, then the combined forces were the "British Army".

The Navy, on the other hand, was commissioned directly from the Royal Treasury ... and so forth.

[Hagar]

I have often wondered the same thing. Your explanation seems as good as any.

[Craig.]

because royal army doesnt sound as good:)

[Jake Derrick]

I am a Royal Marine Cadet currently based on Whale island in Portsmouth.  

1.  The Royal Navy has the proword Royal becasue it is the senior service

2. The Royal Marines were given the title 'Royal' to mark King George the 3rd's birthday.

3. I don't know about the RAF!

And i agree Royal Army sounds crap! anyway there are regiments within the army who have the proword royal!

Hope that helps

[Hagar]

I don't see how Royal Army sounds any worse than Royal Navy, Royal Air Force or whatever.  ???

Jake, maybe you can explain how the RN came to be known as the the Senior Service. I understand it was formed under the name Navy Royal in 1509. This was not changed to Royal Navy until 1660. https://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/static/pages/3538.html I'm sure we had an army hundreds of years before then.

[Jake Derrick]

This is kinda hard to explain.  As mentioned earlier in this topic, there was no British Army, by that i mean an army that stands for Britain together.  There were more like little regiments here and there, but not under the same name or command, where as the Navy has always been under one command serving all of Britain as Brtiains navy.  Do you get it?  As i said it is hard to explain.  Also the RN became known as the senior service, because it was the service that most of the royal family joined.

[Woodlouse2002]

I think its because the army has regiments beginning with "royal" they don't bother with naming the army royal. If you think about it the Navy, Airforce and Marines don't have the word royal in their squadron and commando titles.

[Felix/FFDS]

In the end, the reason is a "little bit of everything"

[quote]Dear Mr Rodriguez

Thank you for your enquiry. There is a long-standing tradition of opposition to standing armies in this country, which dates back at least to the seventeenth century. It was extremely difficult after the Restoration for Charles II to maintain any standing forces without arousing the suspicion that he would use them to impose an absolutist monarchy in the style of Louis XIV.  In the circumstances, the addition of

[pete]

I refer to the British Navy as the 'british navy' - it defines what you are talking about. Like the  'US Navy', French Navy' etc ..  - In my opinion the word 'royal' is outdated & irrelevant. I would guess that the word 'royal' is only used inside the UK -

So is that laughable thing of calling people Sir & Lord

I would guess if you asked the average person in any country what the 'royal navy' was he/she wouldn't have any idea other than it was a division of some navy somewhere.

[Hogans_Alley]

To the Royal Navy, Air Force, Marines and the British Army (Queens Guard, Royal Fusiliers, the Royal Gurkhas, etc)

BRAVO ZULU! Jolly good job in Iraq.

Hogans Alley