The King's and Manchesters, consisting of regular and territorial battalions, had been selected for amalgamation by Duncan Sandys' 1957 Defence White Paper. Conscription (National Service) was to be abolished and the Armed Forces' size rationalised over a gradual period.Retired soldiers and some serving personnel despaired at the prospect of the demise of their respective regiments. The regular 1st Battalions of both regiments formally amalgamated on 1 September 1958, at Brentwood, to form the 1st Battalion, The King's Regiment (Manchester and Liverpool). The title reflected the seniority of the King's Regiment (Liverpool), formerly eighth in the infantry's order of precedence. Regimental subtitles (i.e. Manchester and Liverpool) would be omitted in 1968 without affecting recruitment boundaries in North West England. The regiment inherited from its predecessors the traditions, uniform distinctiveness, battle honours, and an association with the Royal Family, principally Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. As Queen of the United Kingdom in 1947, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon had assumed the position of Colonel-in-Chief of the Manchester Regiment, formalising a relationship conceived during the Second World War.

Stands of colours (Regimental and Queen's) were presented to the 1st Battalion by the 18th Earl of Derby on 28 November. In addition to 1st King's, the regiment possessed three territorial battalions, all of which retained their historical designations, colours, uniforms, and honorary colonels. This practice continued until the Territorial Army's restructuring in the late 1960s: the 5th Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool), was reduced to a company of the Lancastrian Volunteers; the 8th (Ardwick) Battalion, The Manchester Regiment amalgamated with the 9th Battalion, to form the Manchester Regiment (Ardwick and Ashton) Territorials and a separate company within the Lancastrian Volunteers. Other units were constituted by elements of the King's Regiment and its predecessors, albeit in different services of the Army. Personnel from the Liverpool Scottish and defunct 5th King's became part of "R" (King's) Battery, West Lancashire Regiment, while the heritage of the Liverpool Irish and Liverpool Rifles was claimed by troops of other Royal Artillery batteries.

Within months, the regiment received notification that it would be stationed in Kenya, which was emerging from the Mau Mau Uprising and nearing independence. Arriving in 1959, 1 King's was accommodated in Gilgil, situated in the Rift Valley between Naivasha and Nakuru, until relocated to Muthaiga Camp, near Nairobi. Detached from the regiment at this time were elements of headquarters and two rifle companies ("A" and "D"), which became part of the Army's contribution to the Persian Gulf garrison in Bahrain for more than a year.^] Subordinated to 24 Infantry Brigade, which Britain maintained in Kenya as part of the Strategic Reserve, 1 King's became liable for deployment to various locations in Africa and Asia.

 The Ferret was operated by the regiment's reconnaissance platoon in West Germany before and after conversion to armoured infantry.

Subsequent to Kuwait's independence from Britain in June 1961, President Abd al-Karim Qasim directed belligerent speeches against the oil-rich Gulf state, declaring it an integral component of sovereign Iraq. Perceiving Qassim's rhetoric to constitute a possible military threat to Kuwait's sovereignty, Sheikh Abdullah III appealed to Britain and Saudi Arabia for assistance. Britain responded to the emergency by concentrating military forces in the Persian Gulf, composed initially of naval assets, as a deterrence to aggression. The Strategic Reserve's 24 Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Horsford, was transported to Kuwait via Bristol Britannias in early July to augment the country's defences. Opportunity for the King's to acclimatise before relieving 45 Commando was fleeting. Just days after arrival, 1 King's occupied a ridge formation approximately 30-miles west of Kuwait City to prepare a defensive position.

When the emergency ended, the King's returned to Kenya, and in early 1962 proceeded to Britain. By July, the regiment was based in West Berlin. While there, the regiment frequently observed Soviet positions in East Berlin. On returning to Britain in 1964, the regiment became part of the UK Strategic Reserve. A company from the regiment deployed to British Honduras later that year.

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