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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. The position was formerly used in the armies of several European monarchies. A Colonel-in-Chief has a purely ceremonial role in their regiment.

The Norwegian Army has taken a more whimsical approach to the position, appointing the penguin 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; pictures exist 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. In addition, 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.[when?] While it is traditional for a royal personage to hold the position,[5][not in citation given] it is at the discretion of the regiment or corps[Clarification needed] 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]:

Winston Churchill inspecting men of the 4th Queen's Own Hussars at Loreto aerodrome, Italy, 25 August 1944

Winston Churchill inspecting the Queen's Own Hussars, of which he was Colonel-in-Chief, in Italy during 1944

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, whilst Winston Churchill was Colonel-in-Chief of the Queen's Own Hussars, the regiment he served in before entering politics. The Governor General of Canada Adrienne Clarkson was invited to be Colonel-in-Chief of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry,[6] while the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps decided to ask the Governor-General of Australia to serve as its Colonel-in-Chief.[7] These exceptions, however, do not change the raison d'être of the post, which is to serve as a personal link between regiment and Monarch.[citation needed]

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

List of Colonels-in-Chief[]

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Australia[]

Bermuda[]

  • The Bermuda Regiment - The Duchess of Gloucester

Canada[]

Armoured[]

Infantry[]

Prince Philip as Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Regiment

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

Personnel branches[]

Further information: List of Canadian organizations with Royal Patronage: Military

Malaysia[]

Malaysian Army[]

Combat[]
Combat Support[]
  • Royal Artillery Regiment - The Sultan of Kelantan
  • Royal Regiment of Engineers - The Sultan of Perak
  • Royal Signals Regiment - The Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan
Service Support[]
  • Royal Service Corps - The King of Malaysia
  • Royal Ordnance Corps - The Sultan of Terengganu
  • Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Corps - The Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan

Royal Malaysian Air Force[]

Royal Malaysian Navy[]

New Zealand[]

Norway[]

Nils Olav wide

Sir Nils Olav, Colonel-in-Chief of the Norwegian King's Guard (and a penguin)

Papua New Guinea[]

United Kingdom[]

Cavalry[]

File:Her Majesty Queen Elizabth II inspecting the Royal Lancers at their amalgamation parade.jpg

Elizabeth II inspecting troops of the Royal Lancers, of which she is Colonel-in-Chief, in 2015

Infantry[]

  • Coldstream Guards - The Queen
  • The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border) - The Queen
  • Grenadier Guards - The Queen
  • Irish Guards - The Queen
  • The Mercian Regiment - The Prince of Wales
  • The Parachute Regiment - The Prince of Wales
  • The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) - The Queen of Denmark
  • The Rifles - The Duke of Edinburgh
  • The Royal Anglian Regiment - The Duke of Gloucester
  • The Royal Gibraltar Regiment - HE The Governor of Gibraltar
  • The Royal Gurkha Rifles - The Prince of Wales
  • The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th and The Ulster Defence Regiment) - The Duke of York
  • The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers - The Duke of Kent
  • The Royal Regiment of Scotland - The Queen
  • The Royal Welsh - The Queen
  • Scots Guards - The Queen
  • Welsh Guards - The Queen
  • The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot) - The Duke of York

Combat Support[]

  • Army Air Corps - The Prince of Wales
  • Corps of Royal Engineers - The Queen
  • Intelligence Corps - The Duke of Edinburgh
  • Royal Corps of Signals - The Princess Royal
  • Royal Regiment of Artillery - The Queen (styled Captain-General)

Combat Service Support[]

  • Adjutant General's Corps - The Queen
  • Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers - The Duke of Edinburgh
  • Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps - The Countess of Wessex
  • Royal Army Dental Corps - The Duchess of Gloucester
  • Royal Army Medical Corps - The Duke of Gloucester
  • Royal Army Veterinary Corps - The Princess Royal
  • Royal Logistic Corps - The Princess Royal
  • Small Arms School Corps - The Duke of York

References[]

All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at Colonel-in-chief and the edit history here.
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