The Royal Artillery Band (being the oldest band in the British Army), was the last regular army band to be accorded "state band" status. It lost this status when it, along with the Royal Artillery, vacated Woolwich Barracks in 2007. The band held the status of a state band twice before, during the reigns of King George II, King George III, and Queen Victoria. It was often in demand for important state and public duties, and was the favourite band of major figures such as King George IV, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Queen Victoria, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The number of regular army state bands, was further reduced on 1 September 2014, when the Band of the Life Guards and the Band of The Blues and Royals were merged. At around the same time the Bands of the Honourable Artillery Company and the Royal Yeomanry in the Army Reserve were both granted State Band status.
