It is one of the most prestigious roles in the British military and now Buckingham Palace has announced that the position of Captain General of the Royal Marines will be held by King Charles III.
His Majesty’s tenure was announced on October 28th 2022, the 358th anniversary of the foundation of the Royal Marines.
King Charles spoke of his pride as he took on the role, saying ”it is the greatest possible pleasure to assume the role of your Captain General. I am exceptionally proud to follow in the footsteps of so many members of my family over the last three and a half centuries, all of whom held the role with a deep sense of admiration.”
His Majesty is the fourth Monarch of the House of Windsor to take on the role.
Until 1948, this ceremonial post was known as Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Marines. At the time of the change to Captain General, the role was held by King George VI who had taken it on from the moment of his accession on December 11th 1936. For the eleven months before that, it had been held by his elder brother during his short reign as King Edward VIII. Their father, King George V, held the post throughout his reign which saw the creation of the House of Windsor in 1917.
On George VI’s death, on February 6th 1952, the post fell vacant with The Duke of Edinburgh taking it on from June 1st 1953, the day before his wife’s Coronation as Elizabeth II.
Prince Philip stepped aside on December 19th 2017 following his decision to retire from public life with his grandson, Prince Harry, appointed on the same day. He relinquished it when he stepped back from public life, a decision made permanent in 2021.
