Captain General Royal Marines
| Captain General Royal Marines | |
|---|---|
 | |
_Salute_2024.jpg) | |
 Royal Marines | |
| Abbreviation | Capt-Gen |
| Appointer | The Monarch |
| Term length | At his own pleasure |
| Formation | 1 January 1901 |
| First holder | King George V (As Colonel-in-Chief) King George VI (As Captain General) |
Captain General Royal Marines is the ceremonial head of the Royal Marines. The current Captain General is King Charles III.[1] This position is distinct from that of the Commandant General Royal Marines, the professional head of the corps, currently occupied by General Gwyn Jenkins.
History
[edit]Appointed by the monarch of the United Kingdom, the ceremonial head of the Royal Marines was the Colonel in Chief until the title changed to Captain General in 1948.[2]
The uniform and insignia worn by the Captain General are those of a Royal Marines Colonel or higher depending on the appointee's current or previously held rank. As Captain General Royal Marines, Prince Harry was entitled to wear the rank insignia of a Field Marshal or Major General.[3] Despite this, Prince Harry, at least on some occasions, wore the rank insignia of a Colonel,[4][5] which is traditionally worn by some Colonels-in-chief in the British Army.[6]
King Charles III was announced as Captain General on 28 October 2022, on the 358th anniversary of the corps' founding by King Charles II in 1664.[7] Charles III separately holds the position of Head of the Armed Forces, which also makes him the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Marines.[8]
Post holders
[edit]The post has been held by the following:
| No. | Portrait | Name (Born–died) |
Title | Term of office | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 1 [a] | .jpg) |
King George V (1865–1936) |
Colonel-in-Chief | 1 January 1901 | 20 January 1936 | 35 years, 19 days | [9] |
| 2 [b] | .jpg) |
King Edward VIII (1894–1972) |
23 March 1936 | 11 December 1936 | 263 days | [10] | |
| 3 [c] | .jpg) |
King George VI (1895–1952) |
11 December 1936 | 8 October 1948 | 15 years, 57 days | [11] | |
| Captain General | 8 October 1948 | 6 February 1952 | [12] | ||||
| 4 |  |
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921–2021) |
1 June 1953 | 19 December 2017 | 64 years, 201 days | [13][14] | |
| 5 |  |
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (born 1984) |
19 December 2017 | 19 February 2021[Note 1] | 3 years, 62 days | [20][21] | |
| 6 [d] | .jpg) |
King Charles III (born 1948) |
28 October 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 19 days | ||
Denotes the person concurrently serving as Head of the Armed Forces, therefore is also Commander-in-Chief separate to the Ceremonial Head
See also
[edit]
- British and U.S. military ranks compared
- British Army Other Ranks rank insignia
- British Army officer rank insignia
- Captain General
- Lord High Admiral
Notes
[edit]- ^ This holder, concurrently served as Head of the Armed Forces also making them Commander in Chief of the Royal Marines.
- ^ This holder, concurrently served as Head of the Armed Forces also making them Commander in Chief of the Royal Marines.
- ^ This holder, concurrently served as Head of the Armed Forces also making them Commander in Chief of the Royal Marines.
- ^ This holder, concurrently served as Head of the Armed Forces also making them Commander in Chief of the Royal Marines.
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ @RoyalFamily (28 October 2022). "Today as the @RoyalMarines celebrate their 358th birthday, The King has become their new Captain General" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
His Majesty trained and served alongside the Royal Marines during his Naval career.
- ^ "Captain General". Royal Marines Museum. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
- ^ "Royal Marines and Other Ranks" (PDF). royalnavy.mod.uk.
- ^ "While Meghan Markle Cooks at Home, It's a Freezing Valentine's Day for Prince Harry". vanityfair.com.
- ^ "Prince Harry settles claim against Mail on Sunday publisher after being accused of snubbing Royal Marines". The Standard.
- ^ "Army Dress Regulations section 1, paragraph 02.13" (PDF). whatdotheyknow.
- ^ Coughlan, Sean (28 October 2022). "King takes on Royal Marines role once held by Harry". BBC News. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
- ^ "King Charles III: A look at the Commander-in-Chief's time in the forces". www.forcesnews.com. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
- ^ "No. 27263". The London Gazette. 4 January 1901. p. 83.
- ^ "No. 34268". The London Gazette. 27 March 1936. p. 1975.
- ^ "No. 34351". The London Gazette. 18 December 1936. p. 8187.
- ^ "No. 39863". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 May 1953. p. 2939.
- ^ "RM Online (archived version, defunct site)". Archived from the original on 21 October 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ^ "Statement from Her Majesty The Queen". British Royal Family (Press release). 18 January 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- ^ "Spring 2020 Transition". The official website of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Press release). Archived from the original on 30 March 2020.
- ^ "Harry and Meghan's royal duties ending 31 March". BBC News. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- ^ "Buckingham Palace statement on The Duke and Duchess of Sussex". British Royal Family (Press release). 19 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- ^ "Harry and Meghan not returning as working members of Royal Family". BBC News. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- ^ "No. 62148". The London Gazette. 27 December 2017. p. 23814.
- ^ "Prince Harry is appointed Captain General Royal Marines". British Royal Family (Press release). 19 December 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
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