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:

• HM King Abdullah II - The Light Dragoons
• HM Queen Margrethe II - The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires)

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 1 Colonels-in-Chief 1.1 United Kingdom 1.1.1 Cavalry 1.1.2 Infantry 1.1.3 Combat Support 1.1.4 Combat Service Support 1.2 Canada 1.2.1 Armoured 1.2.2 Infantry 1.2.3 Personnel branches 1.3 Australia 1.4 New Zealand 1.5 Bermuda 1.6 Papua New Guinea 1.7 Norway 1.8 Malaysia 1.8.1 Infantry 1.8.2 Combat Support 2 References

[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

• The Royal Canadian Dragoons - HRH The Prince of Wales
• Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) - HRH The Prince of Wales
• 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's) - HRH The Princess Royal
• The King's Own Calgary Regiment (RCAC) - HM The Queen
• The Governor General's Horse Guards - HM The Queen
• The Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment) (RCAC) - HRH The Duke of York
• The Saskatchewan Dragoons - HRH The Earl of Wessex

[edit] Infantry

• The Royal Canadian Regiment - HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
• Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry - The Rt Hon Adrienne Clarkson
• Royal 22^e Régiment - HM The Queen
• 48th Highlanders of Canada - HM The Queen
• The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's) - HM The Queen
• The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada - HRH The Prince of Wales
• The Calgary Highlanders - HM The Queen
• The Canadian Grenadier Guards - HM The Queen
• The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa - HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
• The Essex and Kent Scottish - HRH Prince Michael of Kent
• The Grey and Simcoe Foresters - HRH The Princess Royal
• Governor General's Foot Guards - HM The Queen
• The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment - HRH The Earl of Wessex
• The Lincoln and Welland Regiment - HRH The Countess of Wessex
• The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment) - HRH The Duke of Kent
• The Princess Louise Fusiliers - HRH The Duke of York
• The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada - HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
• Le Régiment de la Chaudière - HM The Queen
• The Rocky Mountain Rangers - HM The Queen
• The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment) - HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
• The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada - HRH The Duke of York
• The Royal New Brunswick Regiment - HM The Queen
• The Royal Newfoundland Regiment - HRH The Princess Royal
• The Royal Regiment of Canada - HRH The Prince of Wales
• The Royal Regina Rifles - HRH The Princess Royal
• The Royal Westminster Regiment - The Duke of Westminster
• The Royal Winnipeg Rifles - HRH The Prince of Wales
• The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
• The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's Own) - HRH The Prince of Wales

[edit] Personnel branches

• The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery - HM The Queen (Captain General)
• Canadian Military Engineers - HM The Queen
• Communications and Electronics Branch - HRH The Princess Royal
• Canadian Forces Medical Service - HRH The Princess Royal
• Canadian Forces Dental Services - HRH The Duchess of Gloucester

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

[edit] Australia

• Royal Australian Armoured Corps - HRH The Prince of Wales
• Royal Australian Infantry Corps - HM The Queen
• Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery - HM The Queen (Captain General)
• Corps of Royal Australian Engineers - HM The Queen
• Royal Australian Corps of Signals - HRH The Princess Royal
• Royal Australian Army Medical Corps - HE The Governor-General of Australia
• Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps - HM The Queen
• Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps - HM The Queen
• Corps of Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers - HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
• Royal Australian Army Educational Corps - HRH The Duchess of Gloucester

[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

• His Majesty The King's Guard - Nils Olav

[edit] Malaysia

[edit] Infantry

• Royal Malay Regiment - HM The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, The King of Malaysia
• Royal Ranger Regiment - HM The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, The King of Malaysia

[edit] Combat Support

• Royal Artillery Regiment - HRH The Sultan of Kelantan

[edit] References