thumb|Fusiliers in The Hague on [[Prinsjesdag 2008]]

The Princess Irene Fusiliers Guards Regiment () is a regiment of the Royal Netherlands Army, named after Princess Irene, the Granddaughter of Queen Wilhelmina, daughter of Queen Juliana, sister of Princess Beatrix and aunt of King Willem-Alexander. It is one of two regiments, along with the Garderegiment Grenadiers en Jagers, to be classed as 'Guards'.

Regimental History

A group of Dutch soldiers were forced to withdraw in May 1940 after the unexpected invasion of the Netherlands by the Nazi armies. Faced by the choice: to surrender or to continue the fight alongside the Western Allies, they opted for the latter. Via several ways they finally arrived in Great Britain, where they formed a new unit: the Royal Dutch Brigade. The unit was later renamed to become the Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade. In August 1941 this unit received from the hands of the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina, who remained in exile in England, its own regimental colors. In addition the unit was given the honorary name of 'Princess Irene', named after the Queen's second granddaughter. This name is also symbolic, as the name of Irene means: 'she who brings peace' (in Greek). As a small detachment in the British Liberation Army (the unit only numbered approximately 1400 men) the Brigade took part in the campaign in Western Europe. In May 1945 the Nazis capitulated in the Netherlands which also led to the disbanding of the Irene Brigade, which to a large extent was made up of war volunteers and conscripts. To remember their special bond, the men of 'the first hour' proudly wore their special distinction: an orange-blue lanyard called 'invasion-lanyard'. The regimental colors of the Royal Dutch Brigade 'Princess Irene' were decorated with the highest military order for valor known in the Dutch Army. So as not to let the name of that small Dutch unit fade into history, it was decided that the traditions surrounding the regimental colors were to be continued by a new regiment - the Princess Irene Regiment which was formed in April 1946 on the basis of the brigade.

Five battalions of the new regiment were on active duty during the so-called Police Actions in the years 1946-1949, during which the Dutch government tried to retake its former colonies of the Netherlands East Indies from the newly independent Indonesia. Ninety Dutch soldiers from this regiment were killed during these operations against the Indonesian independence movement.

The Regiment Princess Irene became Guards Regiment Fusiliers Princess Irene in 1948. The five-pointed star-shaped helmet badge commemorates the star used as a recognition emblem by the Allied forces in the North-West Europe Campaign of 1944–1945.

thumb|right|The [[Military William Order being carried on the Regimental Colour of the Guards Regiment Fusiliers Princess Irene]]

Battle Honours displayed on the regiment's colour

  • St. Come 1944
  • Pont Audemer 1944
  • Beringen 1944
  • Tilburg 1944
  • Hedel 1945
  • West-Java 1946-1949
  • Oost-Java 1947-1949
  • Derafshan 2007

The Military William Order is attached to the colours.

References

  • Garderegiment Fuseliers Prinses Irene
  • Koninklijke Nederlandse Brigade "Prinses Irene" 1940-1945

nl:Prinses Irene Brigade