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Colonel-in-chief

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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 a light-hearted approach to the position, appointing animals or characters as colonel-in-chief. The Norwegian Army, for example, appointed a king penguin named Sir Nils Olav as a colonel-in-chief.[1][2]

History

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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 (German: Regimentschef) 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 dozens of German and (by diplomatic courtesy) Austro-Hungarian (called Inhaber), British, Russian, and Portuguese regiments. His mother, wife, son, and daughters were also full or deputy colonels-in-chief of various units. [3]

Role

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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 any 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 2024, most colonels-in-chief in the British Army are members of the British royal family. However, one foreign monarch holds 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

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United Kingdom

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Royal Navy (styled Commodore-in-Chief)

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British Army

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Household Cavalry and Royal Armoured Corps
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Household Cavalry
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Line Cavalry
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Royal Tank Regiment
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Yeomanry
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Infantry
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Foot Guards
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  • Grenadier Guards — King Charles III
    • Queen Camilla (Colonel of the Regiment)
  • Coldstream Guards — King Charles III
  • Scots Guards — King Charles III
    • Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh (Colonel of the Regiment)
  • Irish Guards — King Charles III
    • Catherine, Princess of Wales (Colonel of the Regiment)
  • Welsh Guards — King Charles III
    • William, Prince of Wales (Colonel of the Regiment)
  • London Guards — vacant
    • Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh (Colonel of the Regiment)
Line Infantry and Rifles
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Airborne Infantry
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Special Operations
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  • Ranger Regiment — vacant
    • 1st Battalion — Anne, Princess Royal
    • 4th Battalion — Queen Camilla
Special Forces
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Combat Support and Army Air Corps
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Combat Service Support
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Army Medical Services
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Overseas Regiments
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Royal Air Force (styled Honorary Air Commodore)

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Antigua and Barbuda

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Australia

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Brunei Darussalam

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Canada

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Further information: List of Canadian organizations with royal patronage § Military, and Monarchy of Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces

Canadian Army

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Royal Canadian Armoured Corps
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Royal Canadian Infantry Corps
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Royal Canadian Engineers
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Personnel branches
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Other organisations

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Jamaica

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Malaysia

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Malaysian Army

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Combat
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Combat Support
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Service Support
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Royal Malaysian Air Force

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Royal Malaysian Navy

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New Zealand

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  • New Zealand Corps of Officer Cadets — vacant

Norway

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

Papua New Guinea

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References

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  1. ^ a b Norwegian Consulate in Edinburgh. Archived 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. ^ "Clarkson to be given military honour". Edmonton Journal. 4 February 2007. Archived from the original on April 18, 2008.
  6. ^ "GG's new role". Department of Defence. 31 May 2007. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  7. ^ "Head of Regiment Order of the Day" (PDF). Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  8. ^ Canadian Army [@CanadianArmy] (11 August 2023). "Today, His Majesty King Charles III, King of Canada, has graciously announced that he will adopt the Royal Appointment of Captain General of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery" (Tweet). Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via Twitter.
  9. ^ "New RNZA Captain General". The Royal New Zealand Artillery Association. 25 August 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
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