H.I.M Emperor Franz Josef of Austria (and King of Hungary) was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the KDG on 24 Mar 1896. The arms of the Austro-Hungarian Empire which included the Habsburg double-headed eagle was developed as a gold embroidered badge and worn on each side of the blue velvet collar of the dress tunic. Identical badges were also worn on the stable jacket, worn in the evenings as a mess jacket.
