8 MENA Battles: British Regimental Flag Celebrates Colonial History

On Saturday, the eyes of millions of people around the world turned to watch the historic accession of King Charles III, the first in 70 years and the first ever to be broadcast live on TV networks. Among thousands of things that viewers noticed and commented on was a regimental flag held by guards outside St James's Palace, showing names of battles won by the British army overseas, during the Kingdom's most active colonial era.

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The flag used by the Coldstream Guards represents conflicts won by the United Kingdom army, including both World Wars.

Online people shared closer photos featuring the many battle names on the flag, including at least eight in the Middle East and North Africa since the 17th century. 

Since Queen Elizabeth II was announced dead last Thursday, internet platforms witnessed heated debates over the UK's colonial legacy around the world.

8 MENA Colonial Battles Celebrated by the UK

Among the MENA countries and cities whose names were featured on the regimental flag was the 1882 Egypt battle also known as the Anglo-Egyptian War, which paved the way for the English military occupation of Egypt and Sudan.  

Featuring a photo of Egypt's well-known Sphinx, the flag also mentions the 1882 Battle of Tel El Kebir in Egypt, which was won by British forces, resulting in more than 800 Egyptian deaths.

The flag also highlighted the 1664 Battle of Tangier between Morocco's Khadir Ghaïlan and the UK's Earl of Teviot, which was later deemed as the "bloodiest battle" during the English occupation of Tangier.

The 1888 Battle of Suakin in Sudan between the British forces and the Sudanese religious leader Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah who had proclaimed himself "the Mahdi of Islam".

In the British flag shown during the ceremonies during which Charles III was announced as the King of the United Kingdom, the battle of Sidi Barrani (1940) near the Egyptian-Libyan border and the Battle of Libya's Tobruk (1941) are mentioned.

Both military operations were part of the UK's Operation Compass, which was Britain's first big attack against the Western Desert against German and Italian troops during the Second World War.

A year later, the Tunisian Campaign named in the flag as the battle of Tunis was waged by British forces between 1942 and 1943.

Finally, the Gulf War of 1991 is mentioned in the flag, remembering the US-led operations to liberate Kuwait from the Iraqi invasion led then by Saddam Hussien.