Captain General Royal Marines

The Captain General Royal Marines is the ceremonial head of the Royal Marines. 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. This position is distinct from that of the Commandant General Royal Marines, the professional head (who is ranked as a Lieutenant General).[1] The Captain General is appointed by the Monarch of the United Kingdom.

Captain General Royal Marines
Incumbent
Vacant
 Corps of Royal Marines
AbbreviationCapt-Gen
AppointerThe Monarch
Term lengthAt Her Majesty's pleasure
Formation1 January 1901
First holderKing George V
(As Colonel-in-Chief)
King George VI
(As Captain General)

History

The ceremonial head of the Royal Marines was the Colonel in Chief until the title changed to Captain General in 1948.[2] As Captain General Royal Marines, Prince Harry was entitled to wear the rank insignia of a Field Marshal[3] or Major General.[4] Despite this, Prince Harry, at least on some occasions, wore the rank insignia of a Colonel,[5][6] which is traditionally worn by some Colonels-in-chief in the British Army.[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]

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. "Major General Matthew Holmes, former head of Royal Marines, found dead at home aged 54". 4 October 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  2. "Captain General". Royal Marines Museum. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  3. "Prince Harry takes over from Prince Philip as Captain General of the Royal Marines". royalcentral.co.uk.
  4. "Royal Marines and Other Ranks" (PDF). royalcentral.co.uk.
  5. "While Meghan Markle Cooks at Home, It's a Freezing Valentine's Day for Prince Harry". vanityfair.com.
  6. "Prince Harry settles claim against Mail on Sunday publisher after being accused of snubbing Royal Marines". The Standard.
  7. "Army Dress Regulations section 1, paragraph 02.13" (PDF). whatdotheyknow.
  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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