Royal Colonel is an appointment made by the British Monarch, currently Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, to members of the British Royal Family who are appointed to the position of Colonel-in-Chief

Colonel-in-Chief

In the various Commonwealth armies, the Colonel-in-Chief of a regiment is its patron. This position is distinct from that of Colonel of the Regiment. They do not have an operational role. They are however kept informed of all important activities of the regiment, and pay occasional visits to its...

 of a Regiment within the British or Commonwealth army. Royal Colonel appointments are made for regiments and military units of the British Army

British Army

The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

. Similar roles exist in honorary Air Commodores-in-Chief and Air Commodore

Air Commodore

Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...

s for the Royal Air Force, and honorary Commodore-in-Chief

Commodore-in-Chief

Commodore-in-Chief is an honorary Royal Navy appointment bestowed by the Queen on various members of the Royal Family on 8 August 2006.Previously there have been honorary Royal Colonels in the British Army and honorary Air Commodores in the Royal Air Force, but no parallel affiliations with the...

 for the Royal Navy.

These appointments are honorary and do not confer rank or uniform upon the recipient. They are a ceremonial appointment designed to further strengthen the bond between the British Army and the Royal Family. The Royal Colonels act as an escort to the monarch and wear full uniform appropriate to the regiment of which they are in command. The appointment is made by the Queen and is announced in a Press Release issued by the Palace Press Secretary.

Following the reorganisation of regiments in 2006 the following appointments were made:

• HM The Queen
  Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
  Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
  
  

The Royal Regiment of Scotland

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland

The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's Lancashire and Border)

The Royal Welsh

• HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
  Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
  Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
  
  

The Highlanders, 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland

The Rifles

• HRH The Prince of Wales
  Charles, Prince of Wales
  Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
  
  

The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland

51st Highland, 7th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (TA)

The Mercian Regiment

• HRH The Duke of York
  Prince Andrew, Duke of York
  Prince Andrew, Duke of York KG GCVO , is the second son, and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
  
  

The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland

The Yorkshire Regiment

• HRH The Earl of Wessex
  Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
  Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex KG GCVO is the third son and fourth child of Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh...
  
  

2nd Battalion The Rifles

• HRH The Princess Royal
  Anne, Princess Royal
  Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
  
  

The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland

52nd Lowland, 6th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (TA)

• HRH The Duke of Gloucester
  Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
  Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester is a member of the British Royal Family. Prince Richard is the youngest grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary. He has been Duke of Gloucester since his father's death in 1974. He is currently 20th in the line of succession...
  
  

The Royal Anglian Regiment

6th Battalion The Rifles (TA)

• HRH The Duchess of Gloucester

7th Battalion The Rifles (TA)

• HRH The Duke of Kent
  Prince Edward, Duke of Kent
  The Duke of Kent graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 29 July 1955 as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Scots Greys, the beginning of a military career that would last over 20 years. He was promoted to captain on 29 July 1961. The Duke of Kent saw service in Hong Kong from 1962–63...
  
  

1st Battalion The Rifles

• HRH Princess Alexandra
  Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
  Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy is the youngest granddaughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and Mary of Teck. She is the widow of Sir Angus Ogilvy...
  
  

3rd Battalion The Rifles

• HRH The Duchess of Cornwall

4th Battalion The Rifles

• HRH The Countess of Wessex

5th Battalion The Rifles