Captain General Royal Marines

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, who is currently ranked as a General.

Captain General Royal Marines
Incumbent
King Charles III
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)

History

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]

Post holders

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
1King George V
(1865–1936)		Colonel-in-Chief1 January 1901 (1901-01-01)20 January 1936 (1936-01-20)35 years, 19 days[8]
2King Edward VIII
(1894–1972)		23 March 1936 (1936-03-23)11 December 1936 (1936-12-11)263 days[9]
3King George VI
(1895–1952)		11 December 1936 (1936-12-11)8 October 1948 (1948-10-08)15 years, 57 days[10]
Captain General8 October 1948 (1948-10-08)6 February 1952 (1952-02-06)[11]
4The Duke of Edinburgh
(1921–2021)		1 June 1953 (1953-06-01)19 December 2017 (2017-12-19)64 years, 201 days[12][13]
5The Duke of Sussex
(born 1984)		19 December 2017 (2017-12-19)19 February 2021[Note 1]3 years, 62 days[19][20]
6King Charles III
(born 1948)		28 October 2022 (2022-10-28)Incumbent350 days[1]

See also

Notes
  1. The Queen made an agreement with the Duke of Sussex to suspend his duties on 31 March 2020.[14][15][16] An announcement by Buckingham Palace on 19 February 2021 confirmed the relinquishment of the Duke of Sussex's honorary military appointments.[17][18]

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


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