Colonel-in-chief

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Colonel in Chief)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Not to be confused with Commander-in-chief or Colonel of the Regiment.

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.[1][2]

History

[edit | edit source]

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]

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

[edit | edit source]

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.

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: 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,[5] while the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps has appointed every Governor-General of Australia since 2007 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.

List of colonels-in-chief

[edit | edit source]

United Kingdom

[edit | edit source]

Royal Navy (styled Commodore-in-Chief)

[edit | edit source]

British Army

[edit | edit source]
Household Cavalry and Royal Armoured Corps
[edit | edit source]
Household Cavalry
[edit | edit source]
Line Cavalry
[edit | edit source]
Royal Tank Regiment
[edit | edit source]
Yeomanry
[edit | edit source]
Infantry
[edit | edit source]
Foot Guards
[edit | edit source]
  • 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
[edit | edit source]
Airborne Infantry
[edit | edit source]
Special Operations
[edit | edit source]
  • Ranger Regiment – vacant
    • 1st Battalion – Anne, Princess Royal
    • 4th Battalion – Queen Camilla
Special Forces
[edit | edit source]
Combat Support and Army Air Corps
[edit | edit source]
Combat Service Support
[edit | edit source]
Army Medical Services
[edit | edit source]
Overseas Regiments
[edit | edit source]

Royal Air Force (styled Honorary Air Commodore)

[edit | edit source]

Antigua and Barbuda

[edit | edit source]

Australia

[edit | edit source]

Brunei Darussalam

[edit | edit source]

Canada

[edit | edit source]
Further information: List of Canadian organizations with royal patronage § Military, and Monarchy of Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces

Canadian Army

[edit | edit source]
Royal Canadian Armoured Corps
[edit | edit source]
Royal Canadian Infantry Corps
[edit | edit source]
Royal Canadian Engineers
[edit | edit source]
Personnel branches
[edit | edit source]

Other organisations

[edit | edit source]

Jamaica

[edit | edit source]

Malaysia

[edit | edit source]

Malaysian Army

[edit | edit source]
Combat
[edit | edit source]
Combat Support
[edit | edit source]
Service Support
[edit | edit source]

Royal Malaysian Air Force

[edit | edit source]

Royal Malaysian Navy

[edit | edit source]

New Zealand

[edit | edit source]
  • New Zealand Corps of Officer Cadets – vacant

Norway

[edit | edit source]
File:Nils Olav inspects the Kings Guard of Norway after being bestowed with a knighthood at Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland.jpg
Sir Nils Olav (a king penguin) inspects troops of the Norwegian Royal Guard, of which he is Colonel-in-Chief

Papua New Guinea

[edit | edit source]

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. ^ a b Norwegian Consulate in Edinburgh. Archived September 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  4. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  5. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  6. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  7. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  8. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  9. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
Retrieved from "http://70.231.62.181/index.php?title=Colonel-in-chief&oldid=2603820"