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Colonel-in-chief

Colonel-in-chief is a ceremonial position in an army 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.

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.

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. 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.

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 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. 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, it is at the discretion of each regiment whom they invite.

, most colonels-in-chief in the British Army are members of the British royal family. However, one foreign monarch holds the position: King Abdullah II of Jordan, who is colonel-in-chief The Light Dragoons. King Abdullah served in the British Army as a troop commander in the 13th/18th Royal Hussars, which is now The Light Dragoons.

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, while the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps has appointed every Governor-General of Australia since 2007 to serve as its colonel-in-chief.

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

United Kingdom

Royal Navy (styled Commodore-in-Chief)

British Army

Household Cavalry and Royal Armoured Corps
Household Cavalry
Line Cavalry
Royal Tank Regiment
Yeomanry
Infantry
Foot Guards
  • Grenadier Guards – King Charles III
  • Queen Camilla (Colonel of the Regiment)
  • Coldstream Guards – King Charles III
  • Sir James Bucknall (Colonel of the Regiment)
  • 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
Airborne Infantry
Special Operations
  • Ranger Regiment – vacant
  • 1st Battalion – Anne, Princess Royal
  • 4th Battalion – Queen Camilla
Special Forces
Combat Support and Army Air Corps
Combat Service Support
Army Medical Services
Overseas Regiments

Royal Air Force (styled Honorary Air Commodore)

Antigua and Barbuda

Australia

Brunei Darussalam

Canada

Canadian Army

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

Other organisations

Jamaica

Malaysia

Malaysian Army

Combat
Combat Support
Service Support

Royal Malaysian Air Force

Royal Malaysian Navy

New Zealand

  • New Zealand Corps of Officer Cadets – vacant

Norway

Papua New Guinea

References