The relationship between the Canadian Crown and the Canadian Armed Forces is both constitutional and ceremonial, with the King of Canada being the commander-in-chief of the Canadian Forces and he and other members of the Canadian royal family holding honorary positions in various branches and regiments, embodying the historical relationship of the Crown with its armed forces. This construct stems from Canada's system of constitutional monarchy and through its 500 years of monarchical history, the relationship symbolically represented through royal symbols, such as crowns on military badges and insignia, coats of arms, royal portraits, and the grant of the royal prefix to various military units and institutions. The role of the Canadian sovereign within the Canadian Armed Forces is established within the Canadian constitution, the National Defence Act, and the King's Regulations and Orders (KR&Os) for the Canadian Forces.
Role in command
The role of the Canadian Crown in the Canadian Armed Forces is established through both constitutional and statutory law. The Constitution Act, 1867. declares that command-in-chief of those Forces is "to continue and be vested in the Queen" and the National Defence Act states, "the Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada". As the sovereign's representative, the governor general of Canada carries out the duties and bears the title Commander-in-Chief on the monarch's behalf. Since Canadian Confederation, three members of the royal family (apart from the sovereign) have been titled as commander-in-chief: John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne (1871–1883), Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1911–1916), and the Earl of Athlone (1940–1946).
Formally, there is a direct chain of command from the monarch to the governor general, through the chief of the Defence Staff to all of the officers who hold the King's Commission, and, through them, to all members of the Canadian Forces. No other person, including the prime minister, other cabinet ministers, nor public servants is part of the chain of command; neither does any other person have any command authority in the Canadian Forces, an arrangement maintained to ensure that "the military is an agent for, and not a master of, the state." As such, all new recruits into the Canadian Forces are required to recite the Oath of Allegiance to the monarch. According to the National Defence Act, the use of traitorous or disloyal words towards the reigning king or queen is a service offence and may be punishable by up to seven years imprisonment. Neither the monarch nor the viceroy, however, involve themselves in direct military command; per constitutional convention, both must almost always exercise the royal prerogative on the advice of Cabinet; although, the right to unilaterally use those powers in crisis situations is maintained.
Declarations of war, the mobilisation of troops, and the organisation of the Forces all fall within the royal prerogative. Direct parliamentary approval is not necessary; though, the Cabinet may seek it, nonetheless, and the Crown-in-Parliament is responsible for allocating moneys necessary to fund the military. The monarch issues letters patent, known as the King's Commission, to commissioned officers in the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy, and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Further, all regulations for the Canadian Forces are set out by the sovereign in the King's Regulations and Orders.
Symbolism and traditions The Canadian Forces have derived many of their traditions and symbols from the British Army, Navy, and Air Force, including those with royal elements. Contemporary icons and rituals, however, have evolved to include elements reflective of Canada and the Canadian monarchy. Members of the country's royal family also continue their two century old practice of maintaining personal relationships with the Canadian Forces, as well as individual units, around which the military has developed complex protocols.
Ceremonies and protocols
Many ceremonies and rituals of the Canadian Forces have a royal connection. For example, the military traditionally mounts what is known as the King's Guard (or Queen's Guard during the reign of a female monarch), which is made up of contingents of infantry and cavalry soldiers who are charged with guarding the royal residences in Canada and the United Kingdom. Canada has mounted the King's/Queen's Guard 13 times since 1916, in addition to Canadian Coronation Contingents for every coronation of the country's monarch since that of Edward VII in 1902. Also, whenever the sovereign or a member of his family is in Ottawa, they will lay a wreath at the National War Memorial (which itself was dedicated in 1939 by King George VI) and will do the same if at a Canadian war monument overseas.
Three military units comprise the Household Division, charged specifically with protecting the monarch and governor general: the Governor General's Horse Guards, the Governor General's Foot Guards, and the Canadian Grenadier Guards.
Members of the royal family will also be present for other military ceremonies besides those related to any honorary ranks they hold, including inspections of the troops and anniversaries of key battles and victories, such as commemorations of D-Day. For these events, with participants following the official order of precedence. The royal anthem of Canada, "God Save the King", is normally played, as may be the Viceregal Salute for the governor general or lieutenant governor, if either is present. A loyal toast may also be given; it is required at all formal mess dinners and toasts the health of the monarch. Canadian Forces members and officers are required to stand during the toast and salute any time the royal anthem is played. This stipulation was challenged in 2008 by an officer of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and upheld by the Canadian Forces Grievance Board, the Chief of the Defence Staff, and the Federal Court of Canada.
Visual markers
To signify the sovereign's place at the head of the Canadian Forces, many badges include a crown. Originally designed by the British kings of arms, since 1968, they have been created by the Department of National Defence and then the Canadian Heraldic Authority. Each primary badge of a branch, formation, or unit must be approved by the governor general as commander-in-chief, since the monarch designated approval of new badges to the governor general in the mid-1980s; though, permission for use of royal titles and personal symbols such as the crown must be personally approved by the sovereign. The King's Canadian arms and his royal cypher are also displayed throughout the Forces, including on banners, badges, and military band instruments.
Unique king's colours and regimental colours are presented to various regiments, units, and commands, consisting mostly of national and royal symbols combined; they act as "visible symbols of pride, honour, and devotion to sovereign and country." Colours are thus consecrated objects; it is expected that everyone will rise to attention (if civilian) and salute (if military) upon a stand of uncased colours passing. Authorization to possess a king's colour may be granted and the colour presented only by the King, the governor general, or a lieutenant governor, and the colours must be dipped in the presence of the monarch or other members of the royal family.
Those in the royal family may also present a royal banner to a unit to commemorate specific services rendered and as a mark of royal favour. For example, Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) received a royal banner from King Edward VII for their combat in South Africa, and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother presented the Canadian Forces Medical Service with a royal banner in 1985. These typically include a mark unique to the royal individual, such as a cypher.
The King's harbourmaster, who is in charge of His Majesty's Canadian Dockyards, is accorded a flag that consists of a white-bordered national flag defaced in the centre with a white disc bearing a crown and the acronym KHM/CPSM, for King's Harbour Master/.
The Royal Union Flag was approved by the federal Parliament in 1964 for "continued use as a symbol of Canada's membership in the Commonwealth of Nations and of her allegiance to the Crown." This flag however, is generally flown only on specified days and whenever instructed by National Defence Headquarters.
The finial capping the tip of a flagpole carrying the sovereign's flag for Canada, governor general's flag, king's colours, or other royal banners must be in the form of the crest of the royal coat of arms of Canada.
Royal designations
A number of regiments of the Canadian Army have been granted the use of the prefix royal in the regiment's name, while others bear the name of a member of the royal family. The royal prefix—termed a royal designation—is an honour that demonstrates royal favour for the organisation to whose name the prefix is applied. Its award is an exercise of the royal prerogative and does not expire unless revoked by the Crown-in-Council or the organisation that received the designation ceases to exist. If the name of the regiment should change after the prefix is granted, the word royal may be retained preceding the new name, such as when the Royal Northwest Mounted Police was renamed in 1920 as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Honorary appointments
Members of the royal family, including the sovereign, take on honorary appointments—called royal appointments—related to Army regiments or Air Force or Navy units; a practice thought to have originated with the installation of Princess Louise, Duchess of Connaught, as Colonel-in-Chief of the 199th Battalion in 1917. Requests for a royal honorary are made by the regiment or unit through the chain of command and the appointment is made by the Crown-in-Council (the monarch or governor general acting on the advice of Cabinet). Positions include colonel-in-chief, captain general, commodore-in-chief, and admiral.
The appointee—known as an honorary—acts akin to a patron; intended as an honour for regiments and units and to reinforce loyalty to the Crown and a holder to be a "guardian of regimental traditions and history, promot[e] the regiment's identity and ethos, and [be] an advisor to the commanding officer on virtually all issues excluding operations." The royal individual holds the role either for life, until voluntarily stepping down, or the unit or regiment is disbanded. They will carry out a number of associated duties, such as attending regimental dinners, presenting new colours, trooping the colour, and viewing field training exercises. Attendance and participation in these events may be at the direction of the ministers of the Crown or the regiment itself. As members of the Canadian Forces, royal honoraries may wear Forces' uniforms, both dress and operational.
In 2011, to mark his 90th birthday, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was appointed to the top ranks in all three branches of the Canadian Forces—General of the Land Force Command (later Canadian Army), General of the Air Command (later Royal Canadian Air Force), and Admiral of the Maritime Command (later Royal Canadian Navy)—making him the first to receive such appointments. Though non-royals have been appointed as colonels-in-chief, the practice is rare and the placement of former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson as Colonel-in-Chief of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry caused some controversy as a break with tradition.