Colonel-in-Chief

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In the British and other Commonwealth armies, the Colonel-in-Chief of a regiment is its (usually royal) patron. This position is distinct from that of Colonel of the Regiment. They do not have an operational role. They are however kept informed of all important activities of the regiment, and pay occasional visits to its operational units. Their chief purpose is to maintain a direct link between the regiment and the Royal Family.

Currently in the British Army, two foreign monarchs hold the position of Colonel-in-Chief of British regiments:

While it is traditional for a royal personage to hold the position,[1] it is at the discretion of the regiment or corps whom they invite to be their Colonel-in-Chief. This can be seen by the fact that the Duke of Wellington was Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment that bore his name, and through the invitation to Adrienne Clarkson to be Colonel-in-Chief of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry[2], while the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps decided to ask the Governor-General of Australia to serve as its Colonel-in-Chief.[3] 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 of Colonel in Chief is not to be confused with that of Honorary Colonel.

Contents

[edit] Colonels-in-Chief

[edit] United Kingdom

[edit] Cavalry

  • 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards - HRH The Prince of Wales
  • 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) - HRH The Duke of York
  • The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) - HM The Queen
  • The King's Royal Hussars - HRH The Princess Royal
  • The Life Guards - HM The Queen
  • The Light Dragoons - HM King Abdullah II of Jordan
  • The Queen's Royal Hussars (Queen's Own and Royal Irish) - HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
  • The Queen's Royal Lancers - HM The Queen
  • The Royal Dragoon Guards - HRH The Prince of Wales
  • The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) - HM The Queen
  • The Royal Tank Regiment - HM The Queen

[edit] Infantry

  • Coldstream Guards - HM The Queen
  • The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border) - HM The Queen
  • Grenadier Guards - HM The Queen
  • Irish Guards - HM The Queen
  • The Mercian Regiment - HRH The Prince of Wales
  • The Parachute Regiment - HRH The Prince of Wales
  • The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) - HM Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
  • The Rifles - HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
  • The Royal Anglian Regiment - HRH The Duke of Gloucester
  • The Royal Gibraltar Regiment - HE The Governor of Gibraltar
  • The Royal Gurkha Rifles - HRH The Prince of Wales
  • The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th and The Ulster Defence Regiment) - HRH The Duke of York
  • The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers - HRH The Duke of Kent
  • The Royal Regiment of Scotland - HM The Queen
  • The Royal Welsh - HM The Queen
  • Scots Guards - HM The Queen
  • Welsh Guards - HM The Queen
  • The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot) - HRH The Duke of York

[edit] Combat Support

  • Army Air Corps - HRH The Prince of Wales
  • Corps of Royal Engineers - HM The Queen
  • Intelligence Corps - HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
  • Royal Corps of Signals - HRH The Princess Royal
  • Royal Regiment of Artillery - HM The Queen (Captain-General)

[edit] Combat Service Support

  • Adjutant General's Corps - HM The Queen
  • Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers - HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
  • Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps - HRH The Countess of Wessex
  • Royal Army Dental Corps - HRH The Duchess of Gloucester
  • Royal Army Medical Corps - HRH The Duke of Gloucester
  • Royal Army Veterinary Corps - HRH The Princess Royal
  • Royal Logistic Corps - HRH The Princess Royal
  • Small Arms School Corps - HRH The Duke of York

[edit] Canada

[edit] Armoured

[edit] Infantry

[edit] Personnel branches

Further information: List of Canadian organizations with Royal Patronage: Military

[edit] Australia

[edit] New Zealand

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

[edit] Bermuda

  • The Bermuda Regiment - HRH The Duchess of Gloucester

[edit] Papua New Guinea

  • Royal Pacific Islands Regiment - HRH The Prince of Wales

[edit] Norway

[edit] Malaysia

[edit] Infantry

[edit] Combat Support

[edit] References

  1. ^ See this list of Colonel-in-Chief appointments held by HRH The Prince of Wales.
  2. ^ Clarkson to be given military honour Edmonton Journal 04/02/07
  3. ^ GG’s new role Department of Defence, 31/05/07
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