Colonel-in-chief
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[]
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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 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.[5]
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,[6][failed verification] 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]:
- 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, whilst Winston Churchill was Honorary Colonel of the 4th 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,[7] while the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps decided to ask the Governor-General of Australia to serve as its Colonel-in-Chief.[8] 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[]
This section does not cite any sources. (September 2015) |
Australia[]
- Royal Australian Armoured Corps - Charles, Prince of Wales
- Royal Australian Infantry Corps - Queen Elizabeth II
- Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery - Queen Elizabeth II (Captain General)
- Corps of Royal Australian Engineers - Queen Elizabeth II
- 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 - Queen Elizabeth II
- Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps - Queen Elizabeth II
- 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, Duchess of Cornwall
Bermuda[]
- The Royal Bermuda Regiment - Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester
Canada[]
Armoured[]
- The Royal Canadian Dragoons - Charles, Prince of Wales
- Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) - Charles, Prince of Wales
- The Governor General's Horse Guards - Queen Elizabeth II
- 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's) - Anne, Princess Royal
- The Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment) (RCAC) - The Duke of York
- The Prince Edward Island Regiment (RCAC) - Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
- South Alberta Light Horse - Sophie, Countess of Wessex
- The Saskatchewan Dragoons - Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
- The King's Own Calgary Regiment (RCAC) - Queen Elizabeth II
Infantry[]
- The Royal Canadian Regiment - Vacant
- Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry - The Rt Hon Adrienne Clarkson
- Royal 22e Régiment - Queen Elizabeth II
- Governor General's Foot Guards - Queen Elizabeth II
- The Canadian Grenadier Guards - Queen Elizabeth II
- The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada - Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
- The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada - Charles, Prince of Wales
- The Royal Regiment of Canada - Charles, Prince of Wales
- The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment) - Vacant
- The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment - Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
- The Lincoln and Welland Regiment - Sophie, Countess of Wessex
- The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada - The Duke of York
- The Grey and Simcoe Foresters - Anne, Princess Royal
- The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment) - Prince Edward, Duke of Kent
- Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders - Queen Elizabeth II
- Le Régiment de la Chaudière - Queen Elizabeth II
- The Princess Louise Fusiliers - The Duke of York
- The Royal New Brunswick Regiment - Queen Elizabeth II
- The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (Duke of Edinburgh's Own) - Vacant
- The Royal Winnipeg Rifles - Charles, Prince of Wales
- The Essex and Kent Scottish - Prince Michael of Kent
- 48th Highlanders of Canada - Queen Elizabeth II
- The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's) - Queen Elizabeth II
- The Royal Regina Rifles - Anne, Princess Royal
- The Rocky Mountain Rangers - Queen Elizabeth II
- The Loyal Edmonton Regiment (4th Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry) - vacant
- The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada - Vacant
- The Calgary Highlanders - Queen Elizabeth II
- The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - Vacant
- The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's) - Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
- The Irish Regiment of Canada - Charles, Prince of Wales
- The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's Own) - Charles, Prince of Wales
- Royal Newfoundland Regiment - Anne, Princess Royal
Personnel branches[]
- The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery – Queen Elizabeth II (styled Captain General)
- Canadian Military Engineers – Queen Elizabeth II
- Communications and Electronics Branch – Anne, Princess Royal
- Royal Canadian Medical Service – Anne, Princess Royal
- Royal Canadian Dental Corps – Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester
- Legal Branch – Queen Elizabeth II[9]
Malaysia[]
Malaysian Army[]
Combat[]
- 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 Johor
Combat Support[]
- Royal Artillery Regiment - Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan
- Royal Regiment of Engineers - Sultan Nazrin Shah of Perak
- Royal Signals Regiment - Muhriz, Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan
Service Support[]
- - Sultan Sallehuddin of Kedah
- - Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu
- - Muhriz, Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan
Royal Malaysian Air Force[]
- Royal Malaysian Air Force - Abdullah, King of Malaysia
- Sultan of Pahang (Air Commodore-in-Chief until 1970)
[]
New Zealand[]
- Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps - Queen Elizabeth II
- Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment - Queen Elizabeth II
- Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery - Queen Elizabeth II (Captain General)
- Corps of Royal New Zealand Engineers - Queen Elizabeth II
- Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals - Anne, Princess Royal
- Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment - The Duke of York
- Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps - Queen Elizabeth II
- Royal New Zealand Electrical and Mechanical Engineers - Vacant
- Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps - Anne, Princess Royal
- - Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester
Norway[]
Papua New Guinea[]
- Royal Pacific Islands Regiment - Charles, Prince of Wales
United Kingdom[]
Cavalry[]
- The Life Guards - Queen Elizabeth II
- The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) - Queen Elizabeth II
- 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards - Charles, Prince of Wales
- The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) - Queen Elizabeth II
- The Royal Dragoon Guards - Charles, Prince of Wales
- Queen Elizabeth II's Royal Hussars (Queen Elizabeth II's Own and Royal Irish) - Vacant
- The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeth's Own) - Queen Elizabeth II
- The King's Royal Hussars - Anne, Princess Royal
- The Light Dragoons - The King of Jordan
- The Royal Tank Regiment - Queen Elizabeth II
- The Royal Yeomanry - Princess Alexandra
- The Royal Wessex Yeomanry - Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
- The Queen's Own Yeomanry - Charles, Prince of Wales
- The Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry - to be confirmed
Infantry[]
- Grenadier Guards - Queen Elizabeth II
- Coldstream Guards - Queen Elizabeth II
- Scots Guards - Queen Elizabeth II
- Irish Guards - Queen Elizabeth II
- Welsh Guards - Queen Elizabeth II
- The Royal Regiment of Scotland - Queen Elizabeth II
- 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) - Queen Elizabeth II
- 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) - The Duke of York
- The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire, Worcesters and Foresters, and Staffords) - Charles, Prince of Wales
- The Royal Welsh - Queen Elizabeth II
- The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th and The Ulster Defence Regiment) - The Duke of York
- The Parachute Regiment - Charles, Prince of Wales
- The Royal Gurkha Rifles - Charles, Prince of Wales
- The Rifles - Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
- The Royal Gibraltar Regiment - HE Governor of Gibraltar
Combat Support[]
- Army Air Corps - Charles, Prince of Wales
- Corps of Royal Engineers - Queen Elizabeth II
- Intelligence Corps - Vacant
- Royal Corps of Signals - Anne, Princess Royal
- Royal Regiment of Artillery - Queen Elizabeth II (styled Captain-General)
Combat Service Support[]
- Adjutant General's Corps - Queen Elizabeth II
- Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers - Vacant
- Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps - Sophie, Countess of Wessex
- 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 - The Duke of York
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b Norwegian Consulate in Edinburgh. Archived September 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Military penguin becomes a 'Sir'". BBC News. 15 August 2008. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
- ^ Colonel-in-Chiefs belonging to the Hohenzollern Family
- ^ Granduchessa Maria Nikolaevna di Russia
- ^ Colonel-in-Chiefs belonging to the Hohenzollern Family
- ^ See this list of Colonel-in-Chief appointments held by Charles, Prince of Wales.
- ^ Clarkson to be given military honour Archived April 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Edmonton Journal 04/02/07
- ^ GG’s new role Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine Department of Defence, 31/05/07
- ^ "Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II accepts Royal Appointment as Colonel-in-Chief of the Canadian Armed Forces' Legal Branch". Department of National Defence. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
- Colonels (military rank)
- Military ranks
- Honorary military appointments