View source for Captain General Royal Marines

{{Not to be confused with||text=[[Commandant General Royal Marines]] (Professional head of the Royal Marines)<br />see also [[Head of the Armed Forces]] The Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Marines}}{{short description|Ceremonial head of the Royal Marines}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox official post
| post = Captain General Royal Marines
| body = 
| insignia = File:British Royal Marines OF-10.svg
| insigniasize = 60px
| insigniacaption = 
| insigniaalt = 
| flag = 
| flagsize = 
| flagalt = 
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| flagcaption = 
| image = Charles III (No. 4 Dress) Salute 2024.jpg
| imagesize = 
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| incumbent = [[King Charles III]]
| acting = 
| incumbentsince = 28 October 2022
| department = {{Marines|United Kingdom}}
| style = 
| type = 
| status = 
| abbreviation = Capt-Gen
| member_of = 
| reports_to = 
| residence = 
| seat = 
| nominator = 
| appointer = [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|The Monarch]]
| appointer_qualified = 
| termlength = [[At His Majesty's pleasure|At his own pleasure]]
| termlength_qualified = 
| constituting_instrument = 
| precursor = 
| formation = 1 January 1901
| first = [[King George V]]<br>(As Colonel-in-Chief)<br>[[King George VI]]<br>(As Captain General)
| last = 
| abolished = 
| succession = 
| unofficial_names = 
| deputy = 
| salary = 
| website = 
| footnotes = 
}}

'''Captain General Royal Marines''' is the ceremonial head of the [[Royal Marines]]. The current Captain General is King [[Charles III]].{{efn|name=CiC|Concurrently served as [[Head of the Armed Forces]] also making them [[Commander in Chief]] of the Royal Marines.}} The uniform and insignia currently worn by the Captain General are those of a [[Field marshal (United Kingdom)|Field Marshal.]]<ref name="tweetoctober2022">{{Cite tweet |number=1585946745573359616 |user=RoyalFamily |title=Today as the @RoyalMarines celebrate their 358th birthday, The King has become their new Captain General. |quote=His Majesty trained and served alongside the Royal Marines during his Naval career.}}</ref>

This position is distinct from that of the [[Commandant General Royal Marines]], the professional head of the corps, currently occupied by [[General (United Kingdom)|General]] [[Gwyn Jenkins]].

==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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/72892370919/photos/a.280834465919.143546.72892370919/10152375885070920/|title=Captain General|publisher=Royal Marines Museum|accessdate=28 May 2016}}</ref> The first Captain General Royal Marines was [[George VI|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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=HRH The Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh |url=https://rma-trmc.org/hrh-the-prince-philip-duke-of-edinburgh/ |website=The Royal Marines Charity|date=9 April 2021 |last1=Pidgeon |first1=a. }}</ref>

Following Prince Philip's retirement from royal duties in 2017, [[Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex|Prince Harry]] was appointed as Captain General.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-01-06 |title=Prince Harry: His military career and connections |url=https://www.forcesnews.com/news/prince-harry-what-are-his-military-titles-and-patronages#:~:text=The%20Duke%20of%20Sussex%20was,he%20returned%20to%20the%20Queen. |access-date=2024-11-17 |website=www.forcesnews.com |language=en}}</ref> As Captain General, Prince Harry was entitled to wear the rank insignia of a [[Field Marshal (United Kingdom)|Field Marshal]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Royal Marines and Other Ranks|url=https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/-/media/royal-navy-responsive/documents/reference-library/br-3-vol-1/chapter-40.pdf|publisher=royalnavy.mod.uk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419195138/https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/-/media/royal-navy-responsive/documents/reference-library/br-3-vol-1/chapter-40.pdf|archive-date=19 April 2021|page=16|access-date=9 April 2021|url-status=dead}}</ref> Despite this, Prince Harry, at least on some occasions, wore the rank insignia of a [[Colonel (United Kingdom)|Colonel]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2019/02/meghan-markle-prince-harry-valentines-day-apart/|title=While Meghan Markle Cooks at Home, It's a Freezing Valentine's Day for Prince Harry|date=14 February 2019 |publisher=vanityfair.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/prince-harry-settles-legal-claim-mail-on-sunday-marines-b918150.html/|title=Prince Harry settles claim against Mail on Sunday publisher after being accused of snubbing Royal Marines|work=The Standard|date=2 February 2021 }}</ref> which is traditionally worn by some [[Colonel-in-chief|colonels-in-chief]] in the [[British Army]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/393927/response/959300/attach/7/ADR%20Part%202.pdf?cookie_passthrough|title=Army Dress Regulations section 1, paragraph 02.13|date=8 March 2017 |publisher=whatdotheyknow}}</ref>

King Charles III was announced as Captain General on 28 October 2022, on the 358th anniversary of the corps' founding by [[Charles II of England|King Charles II]] in 1664.<ref name="bbcfounding">{{Cite news |last=Coughlan |first=Sean |date=2022-10-28 |title=King takes on Royal Marines role once held by Harry |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-63428554 |access-date=2023-01-19}}</ref> 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|Commander-in-Chief]] of the Royal Marines.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-05 |title=King Charles III: A look at the Commander-in-Chief's time in the forces |url=https://www.forcesnews.com/king-charles/king-charles-iii-look-new-forces-commander-chiefs-military-career |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=www.forcesnews.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Post holders==
The post has been held by the following:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! rowspan=2| {{abbr|No.|Number}}
! class=unsortable rowspan=2| Portrait
! rowspan=2| Name<br><small>(Born–died)</small>
! class=unsortable rowspan=2| Title
! colspan=3| Term of office
! class=unsortable rowspan=2| {{abbr|Ref.|References}}
|-
! Took office
! Left office
! Time in office
|-style="text-align:center;"
| align=center| {{nts|1}} || [[File:King George 1923 LCCN2014715558 (cropped).jpg|100px]] || [[King George V]]{{efn|From 1910 onwards concurrently served as [[Head of the Armed Forces]] also making them Commander in Chief of the Royal Marines.}}<br/>{{smaller|(1865–1936)}} ||rowspan=3| Colonel-in-Chief ||align=center| {{start date|1901|01|01|df=y}} ||align=center| {{end date|1936|01|20|df=y}} ||align=right| {{ayd|1901|01|01|1936|01|20}} || <ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27263 |date=4 January 1901 |page=83}}</ref>
|-style="text-align:center;"
| align=center| {{nts|2}} || [[Image:HRH The Prince of Wales No 4 (HS85-10-36416).jpg|100px]] || [[King Edward VIII]]{{efn|name=CiC}}<br/>{{smaller|(1894–1972)}}  ||align=center| {{start date|1936|03|23|df=y}} ||align=center| {{end date|1936|12|11|df=y}} ||align=right| {{ayd|1936|03|23|1936|12|11}} || <ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34268|page=1975|date=27 March 1936}}</ref>
|-style="text-align:center;"
| rowspan=2 align=center| {{nts|3}} || rowspan="2" |[[Image:King George VI of England, formal photo portrait, circa 1940-1946.jpg|100px]] || rowspan=2|[[King George VI]]{{efn|name=CiC}}<br/>{{smaller|(1895–1952)}}||align=center| {{start date|1936|12|11|df=y}} ||align=center| {{end date|1948|10|08|df=y}} || rowspan=2 align=right| {{ayd|1936|12|11|1952|02|06}} || <ref>{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=34351|page=8187|date=18 December 1936}}</ref>
|-style="text-align:center;"
| rowspan="4" | Captain General ||align=center| {{start date|1948|10|08|df=y}} ||align=center| {{end date|1952|02|06|df=y}} || <ref name="navy">{{cite web|url=http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/~/media/Files/Navy-PDFs/The-Fleet/RMBS/The%20Ceremony%20of%20Beating%20Retreat.pdf|title=The Ceremony of Beating the Retreat|publisher=Royal Navy|accessdate=23 May 2016}}</ref>
|-style="text-align:center;"
| align=center| {{nts|4}} || [[Image:Prince Phillip of Edinburgh.jpg|100px]] || [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]]<br/>{{smaller|(1921–2021)}} ||align=center|{{start date|1953|06|01|df=y}} ||align=center| {{end date|2017|12|19|df=y}} ||align=right| {{ayd|1953|06|01|2017|12|19}} || <ref>{{London Gazette |issue=39863|date=26 May 1953|supp=y |page=2939}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://royalmarinesonline.com/royal-marines-commando-control.php |title=RM Online (archived version, defunct site) |accessdate=4 May 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111021081924/http://royalmarinesonline.com/royal-marines-commando-control.php |archivedate=21 October 2011}}</ref>
|-style="text-align:center;"
| align=center| {{nts|5}} || [[Image:Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex 2020 cropped 02.jpg|100px]] || [[Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex]]<br/>{{smaller|(born 1984)}} ||align=center| {{start date|2017|12|19|df=y}} || align=center| 19 February 2021{{refn|[[Elizabeth II|The Queen]] made an agreement with the [[Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex|Duke of Sussex]] to suspend his duties on 31 March 2020.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Statement from Her Majesty The Queen |url=https://www.royal.uk/statement-her-majesty-queen-0 |website=British Royal Family |accessdate=2 May 2020 |date=18 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |title=Spring 2020 Transition |url=https://sussexroyal.com/spring-2020-transition/ |website=The official website of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200330190845/https://sussexroyal.com/spring-2020-transition/ |archivedate=30 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Harry and Meghan's royal duties ending 31 March |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51565325 |accessdate=2 May 2020 |work=BBC News |date=19 February 2020}}</ref> An announcement by Buckingham Palace on 19 February 2021 confirmed the relinquishment of the Duke of Sussex's honorary military appointments.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Buckingham Palace statement on The Duke and Duchess of Sussex |url=https://www.royal.uk/buckingham-palace-statement-duke-and-duchess-sussex |website=British Royal Family |access-date=19 February 2021 |date=19 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-02-19 |title=Harry and Meghan not returning as working members of Royal Family |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56127673 |access-date=2021-02-19}}</ref>|group=Note}} || align="right" | {{ayd|2017|12|19|2021|02|19}} || <ref>{{London Gazette|issue=62148|date=27 December 2017|page=23814}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |title=Prince Harry is appointed Captain General Royal Marines |url=https://www.royal.uk/prince-harry-appointed-captain-general-royal-marines |website=British Royal Family |accessdate=2 May 2020 |date=19 December 2017}}</ref>
|-style="text-align:center;"
| align=center| {{nts|6}} || [[File:King Charles III (July 2023).jpg|100px]] || [[King Charles III]]{{efn|name=CiC}}<br/>{{smaller|(born 1948)}} || {{start date|2022|10|28|df=y}} ||align=center|''Incumbent'' ||align=right| {{ayd|2022|10|28|}} ||
|}
==See also==
{{stack|{{Portal|United Kingdom}}}}
* [[British and U.S. military ranks compared]]
* [[British Army Other Ranks rank insignia]]
* [[British Army officer rank insignia]]
* [[Captain General]]
* [[Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom|Lord High Admiral]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=Note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{UK officer ranks}}

[[Category:Royal Marines generals| ]]
[[Category:Military appointments of the Royal Marines]]


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