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Captain General Royal Marines

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Captain General Royal Marines
since 28 October 2022
 Royal Marines
AbbreviationCapt-Gen
AppointerThe Monarch
Term lengthAt his own pleasure
Formation1 January 1901
First holderKing 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.[a][1] The uniform and insignia currently worn by the Captain General are those of a Field Marshal.

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

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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 first Captain General Royal Marines was King George VI. Following his death he was succeeded by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, consort to Queen Elizabeth II; Prince Philip is the longest serving Captain General to date.[3]

Following Prince Philip's retirement from royal duties in 2017, Prince Harry was appointed as Captain General.[4] Unlike his predecessors and successors, who had worn Field Marshal uniforms,[5] as Captain General, Prince Harry was instead entitled to wear the rank insignia of a Major General.[6] Despite this, Prince Harry, at least on some occasions, wore the rank insignia of a Colonel,[7][8] which is traditionally worn by some colonels-in-chief in the British Army.[9]

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.[10] Charles III separately holds the position of Head of the Armed Forces, which like some of his predecessors also makes him the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Marines.[11]

Post holders

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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 [b] King George V
(1865–1936)
Colonel-in-Chief 1 January 1901 (1901-01-01) 20 January 1936 (1936-01-20) 35 years, 19 days [12]
2 [c] King Edward VIII
(1894–1972)
23 March 1936 (1936-03-23) 11 December 1936 (1936-12-11) 263 days [13]
3 [d] King George VI
(1895–1952)
11 December 1936 (1936-12-11) 8 October 1948 (1948-10-08) 15 years, 57 days [14]
Captain General 8 October 1948 (1948-10-08) 6 February 1952 (1952-02-06) [15]
4 Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
(1921–2021)
1 June 1953 (1953-06-01) 19 December 2017 (2017-12-19) 64 years, 201 days [16][17]
5 Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
(born 1984)
19 December 2017 (2017-12-19) 19 February 2021[Note 1] 3 years, 62 days [23][24]
6 [e] King Charles III
(born 1948)
28 October 2022 (2022-10-28) Incumbent 2 years, 38 days

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Charles III, concurrently serves as Head of the Armed Forces also making them Commander in Chief of the Royal Marines.
  2. ^ George V, from 1910 onwards concurrently served as Head of the Armed Forces also making them Commander in Chief of the Royal Marines.
  3. ^ Edward VIII, concurrently served as Head of the Armed Forces also making them Commander in Chief of the Royal Marines.
  4. ^ George VI, concurrently served as Head of the Armed Forces also making them Commander in Chief of the Royal Marines.
  5. ^ Charles III, concurrently serves as Head of the Armed Forces also making them Commander in Chief of the Royal Marines.

Notes

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  1. ^ The Queen made an agreement with the Duke of Sussex to suspend his duties on 31 March 2020.[18][19][20] An announcement by Buckingham Palace on 19 February 2021 confirmed the relinquishment of the Duke of Sussex's honorary military appointments.[21][22]

References

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  1. ^ @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.
  2. ^ "Captain General". Royal Marines Museum. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  3. ^ "HRH The Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh". The Royal Marines Charity.
  4. ^ "Prince Harry: His military career and connections". www.forcesnews.com. 6 January 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  5. ^ "The Box | HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh". The Box Plymouth. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  6. ^ "Royal Marines and Other Ranks" (PDF). royalnavy.mod.uk.
  7. ^ "While Meghan Markle Cooks at Home, It's a Freezing Valentine's Day for Prince Harry". vanityfair.com.
  8. ^ "Prince Harry settles claim against Mail on Sunday publisher after being accused of snubbing Royal Marines". The Standard.
  9. ^ "Army Dress Regulations section 1, paragraph 02.13" (PDF). whatdotheyknow.
  10. ^ Coughlan, Sean (28 October 2022). "King takes on Royal Marines role once held by Harry". BBC News. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ "No. 27263". The London Gazette. 4 January 1901. p. 83.
  13. ^ "No. 34268". The London Gazette. 27 March 1936. p. 1975.
  14. ^ "No. 34351". The London Gazette. 18 December 1936. p. 8187.
  15. ^ "The Ceremony of Beating the Retreat" (PDF). Royal Navy. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  16. ^ "No. 39863". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 May 1953. p. 2939.
  17. ^ "RM Online (archived version, defunct site)". Archived from the original on 21 October 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  18. ^ "Statement from Her Majesty The Queen". British Royal Family (Press release). 18 January 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  19. ^ "Spring 2020 Transition". The official website of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Press release). Archived from the original on 30 March 2020.
  20. ^ "Harry and Meghan's royal duties ending 31 March". BBC News. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  21. ^ "Buckingham Palace statement on The Duke and Duchess of Sussex". British Royal Family (Press release). 19 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  22. ^ "Harry and Meghan not returning as working members of Royal Family". BBC News. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  23. ^ "No. 62148". The London Gazette. 27 December 2017. p. 23814.
  24. ^ "Prince Harry is appointed Captain General Royal Marines". British Royal Family (Press release). 19 December 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2020.