SOLDIERS from the 1st Btn, the Royal Welsh are set to exercise their right to march through the city centre on Saturday.

The Royal Welsh is Wales’ oldest regiment has been awarded the Freedom of the City and they’ll be marching in full dress uniform just days after His Majesty the King agreed to become the regiment’s Colonel-in-Chief.

Following an inspection at the Guildhall Rotunda, the regiment will parade through the city to the LC via St Helen’s Road, Oxford Street, St Mary’s Square and Princess Way. There will be rolling road closures in the area at times between 10am and 1pm. Francis Street, Guildhall Road North and the Guildhall Rotunda will be closed from 6am to 1.30pm.

Graham Thomas, Lord Mayor of Swansea, said: “It will be an amazing encouragement to the the 1^st Btn The Royal Welsh if the people of Swansea were to line the parade route on Saturday. It will be a great, colourful occasion that doesn’t happen often.

“Some of the troops are from the South West Wales area and this is a marvellous opportunity for family, friends and the general public to show how much we appreciate them and their role as the British Army’s most experienced armoured infantry unit.”

Rob Stewart, Leader of the Council, said: “Swansea is a spiritual home of the Royal Welsh. It’s why they have the Freedom of the City and why we’re delighted that they want to exercise their right to march through the city.

“They’ve served in locations all over the world and it’s fantastic that the regiment is returning to parade in Swansea so soon after the announcement on St David’s Day that the King is to be their Colonel-in-Chief.”

The council’s armed forces’ champion Cllr Wendy Lewis, said the Royal Welsh has served in many conflict zones over the years, including tours of Afghanistan, Iraq and most recently in Estonia as part of the British Army-led Operation CABRIT.

She said: “Swansea has a proud history of welcoming the Royal Welsh to our city. As a council and a community we’ve always been hugely committed to supporting our armed forces who go in harm’s way to keep the rest of us safe.

“That commitment shows itself in support for our veterans every day and I’m sure it will be reflected during the march on Saturday.”

The Royal Welsh can trace it’s lineage back to 1689 and is reknowned for an earlier manifestation as the 24^th of Foot which won seven VCs at Rorke’s Drift 1879 – a battle made famous in the movie Zulu.

The Royal Welsh’s antecedent regiments, the Royal Welch Fusiliers and the Royal Regiment of Wales amalgamated in 2006. Both regiments had previously been awarded the Freedom of Swansea.

While its home base is at Tidworth in Wiltshire, it has territorial bases across Wales including one based in Swansea at the Army Reserve Centre in Morfa.