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Infantry regiment of the British Army

The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border) (LANCS) is an infantry regiment of the line within the British Army, part of the King's Division. Headquartered in Preston, it recruits throughout the North West of England. The title of Duke of Lancaster merged with the Crown on the accession of Henry V in 1413 and remains dormant, subject to any future revival. Customarily, however, the Sovereign (whether male or female) is referred to as the Duke of Lancaster within Lancashire and in relation to the Duchy of Lancaster, and is the regiment's Colonel in Chief. The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment is the county regiment for Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and the Isle of Man, and as such, recruits mainly from these areas.

The regiment's 4th (Territorial) Battalion has served in Iraq, Cyprus and Afghanistan. In recent years, deployments have included Denmark, Italy, Nigeria, South Sudan, Kenya, Lithuania, the Baltics, Poland, the Balkans and Georgia.

In May 2023, 4LANCS won the 2022 2023 Army Football Reserve Challenge Cup against 6SCOTS in a 2–1 victory at Aldershot. LANCS’ captain Cpl Kiel Brennan was awarded the Player of the Match. Also in May, personnel from 1 LANCS took part in the IRONMAN70.3 Venice Jesolo Triathlon. All 5 Triathletes from the 1 LANCS Triathlon club completed the 1.9 km Swim, 90 km Bike & 21 km Run course.

The regiment is split into a 1st and 4th Battalion, with the Regimental Headquarters located in Fulwood Barracks, Preston. The 1st Battalion is a light role infantry battalion based in Chester. The 4th Battalion is the regiment's reserve battalion and has its headquarters in Preston, with sub units dispersed throughout its recruiting areas of Merseyside, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Cumbria. Both battalions form part of the new 4th Light Brigade Combat Team, in the 1st (UK) Division.

Alongside a few other regiments in the British Army that use traditional names other than Private for the lowest rank, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment uses the rank Kingsman (Kgn) instead of Private, a tradition inherited from the King's Regiment (itself having inherited the tradition from the King's Regiment (Liverpool)). Its use has been officially sanctioned since 1951, but it was informally used before this for over one hundred years. 2009–2013: Brig. Michael Griffiths, CBE QPM
2018–2023: Brig. Frazer M. Lawrence, OBE, QCVS
2023–present: Brig. Robert J. Singleton

In 2021 a colour sergeant from 4th Battalion, the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment was fined and dismissed for lifting the skirt of a Kenyan woman, whom he knew, in a shopping mall in Nanyuki while intoxicated. A British Army spokesperson described the colour sergeant's conduct as disgraceful and said;“This was appalling behaviour from the senior non commissioned officer.”

In 2012, a Kenyan mother and alleged prostitute called Agnes Wanjiru was allegedly murdered by soldiers of the Duke of Lancaster Regiment, with the murder reportedly covered up by British Army officials. The Sunday Times said a fellow soldier had gone to the “proper people” immediately after hearing a squaddie confess to the killing, but said he was told to “shut up” when he reported it and no action was taken. Ms Wanjiru's body was not discovered until two months later, after the regiment had returned to the UK. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace denied that the British military had covered up Wanjiru's murder, but admitted guilt to and expressed concern over the Army hierarchy turning a "blind eye" to the use of prostitutes by personnel, especially within “countries in poverty”. In 2021, screenshots of a private Facebook group chat allegedly run by soldiers of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment were published across British newspapers. The screenshots reportedly showed the regiment's soldiers joking and laughing at memes mocking the murder of Agnes Wanjiru. The leaking of the secret chats apparently mocking the murder sparked a reinvestigation into the case by Kenyan police. In 2022, UK armed forces introduced a ban on the use of sex workers abroad for the first time. Personnel found to have engaged in what the Ministry of Defence describes as “transactional sex” face the prospect of dismissal – and they could also be prosecuted if in countries where prostitution is illegal.