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. The first Captain General Royal Marines was
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. Following Prince Philip's retirement from royal duties in 2017,
Prince Harry was appointed as Captain General. As Captain General, Prince Harry was entitled to wear the rank insignia of a
Field Marshal. Despite this, Prince Harry, at least on some occasions, wore the rank insignia of a
Colonel, which is traditionally worn by some
colonels-in-chief in the
British Army. King Charles III was announced as Captain General on 28 October 2022, on the 358th anniversary of the corps' founding by
King Charles II in 1664. 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 of the Royal Marines. ==Post holders==