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Colonel-in-chief

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused withCommander-in-chieforColonel of the Regiment.

Colonel-in-chiefis a ceremonial position in a militaryregiment.It is in common use in severalCommonwealtharmies, where it is held by the regiment'spatron,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. TheNorwegian Army,for example, appointed apenguinnamed SirNils Olavas a colonel-in-chief.[1][2]

History

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Historically acolonel-in-chiefwas the ceremonial head of aregiment,usually a member of a European country's royal family. The practice extends at least back to 1740 inPrussiawhenFrederick IIheld that position (German:Regimentschef) in the newly createdGarde 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 ofRussian CzarNicholas IIin the uniforms of their regiments.[4]TheGerman KaiserWilhelm IIcarried the title to an extreme, holding it in dozens of German and (by diplomatic courtesy) Austro-Hungarian (calledInhaber), 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 aregimentis 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]Someartilleryregiments have acaptain-generalinstead 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 ofcolonel of the regimentandhonorary 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 theBritish Armyare members of theBritish 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. TheDuke of Wellingtonwas colonel-in-chief ofthe regiment that bore his name.TheGovernor General of CanadaAdrienne Clarksonwas invited to be colonel-in-chief ofPrincess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry,[5]while theRoyal Australian Army Medical Corpsdecided to ask theGovernor-General of Australiato serve as its colonel-in-chief.[6]

The role has spread to other armies in theCommonwealth 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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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 — The Princess Royal
    • 4th Battalion — The Queen
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,andMonarchy 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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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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SirNils Olav(aking penguin) inspects troops of theNorwegian Royal Guard,of which he is Colonel-in-Chief

Papua New Guinea

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References

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  1. ^abNorwegian Consulate in Edinburgh.ArchivedSeptember 23, 2008, at theWayback Machine
  2. ^ab"Military penguin becomes a 'Sir'".BBC News.15 August 2008.Retrieved13 September2015.
  3. ^ab"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 fromthe originalon April 18, 2008.
  6. ^"GG's new role".Department of Defence. 31 May 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-03-04.
  7. ^"Head of Regiment Order of the Day"(PDF).Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company.11 August 2023.Retrieved14 March2024.
  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).Retrieved1 March2024– viaTwitter.
  9. ^"New RNZA Captain General".The Royal New Zealand Artillery Association.25 August 2023.Retrieved21 February2024.
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