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Colonel-in-chief

April 14, 2023

Not to be confused with Commander-in-chief or Colonel of the Regiment.

Colonel-in-chief is a ceremonial position in a military regiment. It is in common use in several Commonwealth armies, where it is held by the regiment's patron, usually a member of the royal family.

Some armed forces take other approaches to the position, appointing animals or characters as colonel-in-chief. The Norwegian Army, for example, appointed a penguin named Sir Nils Olav as a colonel-in-chief.[1][2]

History

Historically a colonel-in-chief was the ceremonial head of a regiment, usually a member of a European country's royal family. The practice extends at least back to 1740 in Prussia when Frederick II held that position in the newly created Garde du Corps, an elite heavy cavalry regiment.[3][unreliable source?]

By the late 19th century the designation could be given to the children of royalty; there are pictures of the daughters of Russian Czar Nicholas II in the uniforms of their regiments.[4] The German Kaiser Wilhelm II carried the title to an extreme, holding it in literally dozens of German and (by diplomatic courtesy) Austro-Hungarian, British, Russian, and Portuguese regiments. His mother, wife, son, and daughters were also full or deputy colonels-in-chief of various units. [3]

Role

In modern usage, the colonel-in-chief of a regiment is its (usually royal) patron, who has a ceremonial role in the life of the regiment. They do not have an operational role, or the right to issue orders, but are kept informed of all important activities of the regiment and pay occasional visits to its units. The chief purpose of the colonel-in-chief is to maintain a direct link between the regiment and the royal family.[citation needed] Some artillery regiments have a captain-general instead of a colonel-in-chief, but the posts are essentially the same.

The position of colonel-in-chief is distinct from the other ceremonial regimental posts of colonel of the regiment and honorary colonel, which are usually retired military officers or public figures with ties to the regiment.

Colonels-in-chief are appointed at the invitation of the regiment. While it is traditional for a royal personage to hold the position,[citation needed] it is at the discretion of each regiment whom they invite.

As of 2015, most colonels-in-chief in the British Army are members of the British royal family. However, two foreign monarchs hold the position:[citation needed]

In the past non-royal persons have held, or been invited to hold, the post of colonel-in-chief. The Duke of Wellington was colonel-in-chief of the regiment that bore his name. The Governor General of Canada Adrienne Clarkson was invited to be colonel-in-chief of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry,[5] while the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps decided to ask the Governor-General of Australia to serve as its colonel-in-chief.[6]

The role has spread to other armies in the Commonwealth of Nations, at least in countries which have royal families.[citation needed]

List of colonels-in-chief

Commonwealth

Australia

Bermuda

Canada

Further information: List of Canadian organizations with royal patronage § Military

Armoured

Infantry

 
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh with troops of The Royal Canadian Regiment, of which he was Colonel-in-Chief, in 2013

Personnel branches

New Zealand

Papua New Guinea

United Kingdom

Cavalry

Infantry

Combat Support

Combat Service Support

Malaysia

Malaysian Army

Combat
Combat Support
Service Support
  • Royal Service Corps - Sultan Sallehuddin of Kedah
  • Royal Ordnance Corps - Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu
  • Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Corps - Muhriz, Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan

Royal Malaysian Air Force

Royal Malaysian Navy

Outside the Commonwealth

Norway

 
Sir Nils Olav (a king penguin) inspects troops of the Norwegian Royal Guard, of which he is Colonel-in-Chief

References

  1. ^ a b Norwegian Consulate in Edinburgh. September 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b "Military penguin becomes a 'Sir'". BBC News. 15 August 2008. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Colonel-in-Chiefs belonging to the Hohenzollern Family".
  4. ^ "Granduchessa Maria Nikolaevna di Russia". Getty Images.
  5. ^ . Edmonton Journal. 4 February 2007. Archived from the original on April 18, 2008.
  6. ^ . Department of Defence. 31 May 2007. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.

April 14, 2023
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Not to be confused with Commander in chief or Colonel of the Regiment Colonel in chief is a ceremonial position in a military regiment It is in common use in several Commonwealth armies where it is held by the regiment s patron usually a member of the royal family Some armed forces take other approaches to the position appointing animals or characters as colonel in chief The Norwegian Army for example appointed a penguin named Sir Nils Olav as a colonel in chief 1 2 Contents 1 History 2 Role 3 List of colonels in chief 3 1 Commonwealth 3 2 Australia 3 3 Bermuda 3 4 Canada 3 4 1 Armoured 3 4 2 Infantry 3 4 3 Personnel branches 3 5 New Zealand 3 6 Papua New Guinea 3 7 United Kingdom 3 7 1 Cavalry 3 7 2 Infantry 3 7 3 Combat Support 3 7 4 Combat Service Support 3 8 Malaysia 3 8 1 Malaysian Army 3 8 1 1 Combat 3 8 1 2 Combat Support 3 8 1 3 Service Support 3 8 2 Royal Malaysian Air Force 3 8 3 Royal Malaysian Navy 3 9 Outside the Commonwealth 3 9 1 Norway 4 ReferencesHistory EditThis section needs expansion You can help by adding to it November 2015 Historically a colonel in chief was the ceremonial head of a regiment usually a member of a European country s royal family The practice extends at least back to 1740 in Prussia when Frederick II held that position in the newly created Garde du Corps an elite heavy cavalry regiment 3 unreliable source By the late 19th century the designation could be given to the children of royalty there are pictures of the daughters of Russian Czar Nicholas II in the uniforms of their regiments 4 The German Kaiser Wilhelm II carried the title to an extreme holding it in literally dozens of German and by diplomatic courtesy Austro Hungarian British Russian and Portuguese regiments His mother wife son and daughters were also full or deputy colonels in chief of various units 3 Role EditIn modern usage the colonel in chief of a regiment is its usually royal patron who has a ceremonial role in the life of the regiment They do not have an operational role or the right to issue orders but are kept informed of all important activities of the regiment and pay occasional visits to its units The chief purpose of the colonel in chief is to maintain a direct link between the regiment and the royal family citation needed Some artillery regiments have a captain general instead of a colonel in chief but the posts are essentially the same The position of colonel in chief is distinct from the other ceremonial regimental posts of colonel of the regiment and honorary colonel which are usually retired military officers or public figures with ties to the regiment Colonels in chief are appointed at the invitation of the regiment While it is traditional for a royal personage to hold the position citation needed it is at the discretion of each regiment whom they invite As of 2015 update most colonels in chief in the British Army are members of the British royal family However two foreign monarchs hold the position citation needed Abdullah II of Jordan The Light Dragoons Margrethe II of Denmark The Princess of Wales s Royal Regiment Queen s and Royal Hampshires In the past non royal persons have held or been invited to hold the post of colonel in chief The Duke of Wellington was colonel in chief of the regiment that bore his name The Governor General of Canada Adrienne Clarkson was invited to be colonel in chief of Princess Patricia s Canadian Light Infantry 5 while the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps decided to ask the Governor General of Australia to serve as its colonel in chief 6 The role has spread to other armies in the Commonwealth of Nations at least in countries which have royal families citation needed List of colonels in chief EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed September 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message Commonwealth Edit Australia Edit Royal Australian Armoured Corps King Charles III Royal Australian Infantry Corps vacant Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery vacant styled Captain General Corps of Royal Australian Engineers vacant Royal Australian Corps of Signals Anne Princess Royal Royal Australian Corps of Transport Anne Princess Royal Royal Australian Army Medical Corps The Governor General of Australia Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps vacant Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps vacant Corps of Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Vacant Royal Australian Army Educational Corps Birgitte Duchess of Gloucester Royal Australian Corps of Military Police Camilla Queen ConsortBermuda Edit The Royal Bermuda Regiment Birgitte Duchess of GloucesterCanada Edit Further information List of Canadian organizations with royal patronage Military Armoured Edit The Royal Canadian Dragoons King Charles III Lord Strathcona s Horse Royal Canadians King Charles III 8th Canadian Hussars Princess Louise s Anne Princess Royal The Prince Edward Island Regiment RCAC Prince Edward Duke of Edinburgh South Alberta Light Horse Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh The Saskatchewan Dragoons Prince Edward Duke of EdinburghInfantry Edit Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh with troops of The Royal Canadian Regiment of which he was Colonel in Chief in 2013 Princess Patricia s Canadian Light Infantry The Rt Hon Adrienne Clarkson The Queen s Own Rifles of Canada Queen Camilla Queen Consort The Black Watch Royal Highland Regiment of Canada King Charles III The Royal Regiment of Canada King Charles III The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment Prince Edward Duke of Edinburgh The Lincoln and Welland Regiment Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh The Grey and Simcoe Foresters Anne Princess Royal The Lorne Scots Peel Dufferin and Halton Regiment Prince Edward Duke of Kent The Royal Winnipeg Rifles King Charles III The Essex and Kent Scottish Prince Michael of Kent The Royal Regina Rifles Anne Princess Royal The Canadian Scottish Regiment Princess Mary s Princess Alexandra The Honourable Lady Ogilvy The Irish Regiment of Canada King Charles III The Toronto Scottish Regiment Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother s Own King Charles III Royal Newfoundland Regiment Anne Princess RoyalPersonnel branches Edit Communications and Electronics Branch Anne Princess Royal Royal Canadian Medical Service Anne Princess Royal Royal Canadian Dental Corps Birgitte Duchess of GloucesterNew Zealand Edit Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery vacant styled Captain General Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps vacant styled Captain General Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment vacant Corps of Royal New Zealand Engineers vacant Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals Anne Princess Royal Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment vacant Royal New Zealand Army Medical Corps The Duke of Gloucester Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps Anne Princess Royal Royal New Zealand Army Educational Corps Birgitte Duchess of GloucesterPapua New Guinea Edit Royal Pacific Islands Regiment King Charles IIIUnited Kingdom Edit Cavalry Edit The Life Guards King Charles III The Blues and Royals Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons King Charles III 1st The Queen s Dragoon Guards King Charles III The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Carabiniers and Greys vacant The Royal Dragoon Guards King Charles III The Queen s Royal Hussars Queen s Own and Royal Irish vacant The Royal Lancers Queen Elizabeth s Own vacant The King s Royal Hussars Anne Princess Royal The Light Dragoons The King of Jordan The Royal Tank Regiment vacant The Royal Yeomanry Princess Alexandra The Royal Wessex Yeomanry Prince Edward Duke of Edinburgh The Queen s Own Yeomanry King Charles III The Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry vacantInfantry Edit Grenadier Guards HM King Charles III Coldstream Guards HM King Charles III Scots Guards HM King Charles III Irish Guards HM King Charles III Welsh Guards HM King Charles III The Royal Regiment of Scotland vacant The Princess of Wales s Royal Regiment Queen s and Royal Hampshires Queen Margrethe II of Denmark The Duke of Lancaster s Regiment King s Lancashire and Border vacant The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Prince Edward Duke of Kent The Royal Anglian Regiment Prince Richard Duke of Gloucester The Yorkshire Regiment 14th 15th 19th and 33rd 76th Foot vacant The Mercian Regiment Cheshire Worcesters and Foresters and Staffords King Charles III The Royal Welsh vacant The Royal Irish Regiment 27th Inniskilling 83rd and 87th and The Ulster Defence Regiment vacant The Parachute Regiment King Charles III The Royal Gurkha Rifles King Charles III The Rifles Queen Consort Camilla The Royal Gibraltar Regiment HE Governor of GibraltarCombat Support Edit Army Air Corps King Charles III Corps of Royal Engineers King Charles III Intelligence Corps Anne Princess Royal Royal Corps of Signals Anne Princess Royal Royal Regiment of Artillery vacant styled Captain General Combat Service Support Edit Adjutant General s Corps vacant Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh Queen Alexandra s Royal Army Nursing Corps Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh Royal Army Dental Corps Birgitte Duchess of Gloucester Royal Army Medical Corps Prince Richard Duke of Gloucester Royal Army Veterinary Corps Anne Princess Royal Royal Logistic Corps Anne Princess Royal Small Arms School Corps vacantMalaysia Edit Malaysian Army Edit Combat Edit Royal Malay Regiment Sultan Sallehuddin of Kedah Royal Ranger Regiment Raja Sirajuddin of Perlis Royal Armoured Corps Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu Special Operations Regiment Sultan Ibrahim Ismail of JohorCombat Support Edit Royal Artillery Regiment and Royal Intelligence Corps Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan Royal Regiment of Engineers Sultan Nazrin Shah of Perak Royal Signals Regiment Muhriz Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri SembilanService Support Edit Royal Service Corps Sultan Sallehuddin of Kedah Royal Ordnance Corps Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Corps Muhriz Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri SembilanRoyal Malaysian Air Force Edit Royal Malaysian Air Force Abdullah King of MalaysiaRoyal Malaysian Navy Edit Royal Malaysian Navy Sultan Sharafuddin of SelangorOutside the Commonwealth Edit Norway Edit Sir Nils Olav a king penguin inspects troops of the Norwegian Royal Guard of which he is Colonel in Chief His Majesty The King s Guard Sir Nils Olav a king penguin 1 2 References Edit a b Norwegian Consulate in Edinburgh Archived September 23 2008 at the Wayback Machine a b Military penguin becomes a Sir BBC News 15 August 2008 Retrieved 13 September 2015 a b Colonel in Chiefs belonging to the Hohenzollern Family Granduchessa Maria Nikolaevna di Russia Getty Images Clarkson to be given military honour Edmonton Journal 4 February 2007 Archived from the original on April 18 2008 GG s new role Department of Defence 31 May 2007 Archived from the original on 2016 03 04 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Colonel in chief amp oldid 1147028795, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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