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.

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; pictures exist 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 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.

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. 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 the regiment or corps whom they invite.

, most Colonels-in-Chief in the British Army are members of the British royal family. However, two foreign monarchs hold the position:
 * The King of Jordan - The Light Dragoons
 * The Queen 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 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, while the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps decided to ask the Governor-General of Australia to serve as its Colonel-in-Chief. 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.

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

Australia

 * Royal Australian Armoured Corps - The Prince of Wales
 * Royal Australian Infantry Corps - The Queen
 * Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery - The Queen (Captain General)
 * Corps of Royal Australian Engineers - The Queen
 * Royal Australian Corps of Signals - The Princess Royal
 * Royal Australian Corps of Transport - The Princess Royal
 * Royal Australian Army Medical Corps - The Governor-General of Australia
 * Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps - The Queen
 * Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps - The Queen
 * Corps of Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers - The Duke of Edinburgh
 * Royal Australian Army Educational Corps - The Duchess of Gloucester
 * Royal Australian Corps of Military Police - The Duchess of Cornwall

Bermuda

 * The Bermuda Regiment - The Duchess of Gloucester

Armoured

 * The Royal Canadian Dragoons - The Prince of Wales
 * Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) - The Prince of Wales
 * The Governor General's Horse Guards - The Queen
 * 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's) - The Princess Royal
 * The Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment) (RCAC) - The Duke of York
 * The Prince Edward Island Regiment (RCAC) - The Earl of Wessex
 * South Alberta Light Horse - The Countess of Wessex
 * The Saskatchewan Dragoons - The Earl of Wessex
 * The King's Own Calgary Regiment (RCAC) - The Queen

Infantry

 * The Royal Canadian Regiment - The Duke of Edinburgh
 * Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry - The Rt Hon Adrienne Clarkson
 * Royal 22e Régiment - The Queen
 * The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada - The Duchess of Cornwall
 * 48th Highlanders of Canada - The Queen
 * The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's) - The Queen
 * The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada - The Prince of Wales
 * The Calgary Highlanders - The Queen
 * The Canadian Grenadier Guards - The Queen
 * The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (Duke of Edinburgh's Own) - The Duke of Edinburgh
 * The Essex and Kent Scottish - Prince Michael of Kent
 * The Grey and Simcoe Foresters - The Princess Royal
 * Governor General's Foot Guards - The Queen
 * The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment - The Earl of Wessex
 * The Lincoln and Welland Regiment - The Countess of Wessex
 * The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment) - The Duke of Kent
 * The Princess Louise Fusiliers - The Duke of York
 * The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada - The Duke of Edinburgh
 * Le Régiment de la Chaudière - The Queen
 * The Rocky Mountain Rangers - The Queen
 * The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment) - The Duke of Edinburgh
 * The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada - The Duke of York
 * The Royal New Brunswick Regiment - The Queen
 * Royal Newfoundland Regiment - The Princess Royal
 * The Royal Regiment of Canada - The Prince of Wales
 * The Royal Regina Rifles - The Princess Royal
 * The Royal Westminster Regiment - His Grace The Duke of Westminster
 * The Royal Winnipeg Rifles - The Prince of Wales
 * The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - The Duke of Edinburgh
 * Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders - The Queen
 * The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's Own) - The Prince of Wales
 * The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's) -Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
 * The Loyal Edmonton Regiment (4th Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry) -The Right Honourable'' The Countess Mountbatten of Burma
 * The Irish Regiment of Canada - The Prince of Wales

Personnel branches

 * The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery – The Queen (styled Captain General)
 * Canadian Military Engineers – The Queen
 * Communications and Electronics Branch – The Princess Royal
 * Royal Canadian Medical Service – The Princess Royal
 * Royal Canadian Dental Corps – The Duchess of Gloucester
 * Legal Branch – The Queen
 * Further information: List of Canadian organizations with Royal Patronage: Military

Combat

 * Royal Malay Regiment - The King of Malaysia
 * Royal Ranger Regiment - The Raja of Perlis
 * Royal Armoured Corps - The Sultan of Terengganu
 * Special Operations Regiment - The Sultan of Johor

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 Air Force - The Sultan of Pahang (formerly Air Commodore-in-Chief until 1970)

Royal Malaysian Navy

 * Royal Malaysian Navy - The Sultan of Selangor

New Zealand

 * Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps - The Queen
 * Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment - The Queen
 * Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery - The Queen (Captain General)
 * Corps of Royal New Zealand Engineers - The Queen
 * Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals - The Princess Royal
 * Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment - The Duke of York
 * Corps of Royal New Zealand Electrical and Mechanical Engineers - The Duke of Edinburgh
 * Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps - The Princess Royal
 * Royal New Zealand Army Educational Corps - The Duchess of Gloucester

Norway

 * His Majesty The King's Guard - Sir Nils Olav, a penguin

Papua New Guinea

 * Royal Pacific Islands Regiment - The Prince of Wales

Cavalry

 * 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards - The Prince of Wales
 * 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) - The Duke of York
 * The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) - The Queen
 * The King's Royal Hussars - The Princess Royal
 * The Life Guards - The Queen
 * The Light Dragoons - The King of Jordan
 * The Queen's Royal Hussars (Queen's Own and Royal Irish) - The Duke of Edinburgh
 * The Royal Dragoon Guards - The Prince of Wales
 * The Royal Lancers - The Queen
 * The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) - The Queen
 * The Royal Tank Regiment - The Queen
 * The Royal Wessex Yeomanry - Prince Edward
 * The Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry - The Queen

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