About 200 officers and men marched through the streets on Saturday with bayonets fixed, colours flying and bands playing.

The regiment has just returned to Catterick Garrison from Germany, where it has been based for the last eight years. The soldiers returned from operations in Iraq in June.

The Freedom of York was conferred upon the regiment in 1999.

After the salute was taken in St. Helen's Square, there was a reception at the Mansion House.

The Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel James Carr-Smith, said: "It is a great privilege for the Royal Dragoon Guards to exercise the Freedom of the City of York.

"This parade marks our return from a highly successful operational tour in Iraq as well as the return of the regiment to our home county.

"It is a fantastic way of marking these two events and we are very grateful to the people of York for allowing us to march around their city. We look forward very much to renewing our ties with Yorkshire."

The Royal Dragoon Guards is based in Catterick as part of 4th Mechanized Brigade.

The regiment was formed in August 1992 as a result of the amalgamation of the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards and the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards.

The Royal Dragoon Guards now carries with it the traditions and history of four regiments of the British Cavalry.

The regiment has earned battle honours all over the world including Waterloo, Sevastopol, the Somme, Ypres, Dunkirk, Normandy and Korea.

It has historically recruited from Yorkshire. York is now the regiment's spiritual home and is the location of both its permanent UK headquarters and the Regimental Museum.

The Royal Dragoon Guards is equipped with Challenger 2 main battle tanks and Scimitar armoured reconnaissance vehicles.