Monarchy of Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces

[6] 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).

[7] 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.

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.

[11] 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.

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,[7] around which the military has developed complex protocols.

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.

[25] The King's Canadian arms and his royal cypher are also displayed throughout the Forces, including on banners, badges, and military band instruments.

[29] The Royal Union Flag, which 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.

[38] 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.

During this period, at the end of the 18th into the beginning of the 19th centuries, the local militia were called upon to augment the British sovereign's forces in defending the colonies against attacks—such as those in 1775 and 1812—from the United States, which viewed the nearby monarchical presence as a threat to American republican ideologies.

As the colonial population increased, those loyal to the Crown served as regular members of local militia groups under the command of the relevant governor, who exercised the authority of either the French or British monarch.

These groups would fight alongside First Nations who had offered their allegiance to the king back in Europe, often in order to wage war on their own enemy tribes who had allied themselves with the other sovereign.

Once King Louis XV surrendered his Canadian territories, members of the British Royal Family began to serve in military postings in the colonies; from 1786 to 1887, Prince William Henry (later King William IV) ventured to Canada's east coast as captain of HMS Pegasus in a Royal Navy contingent and his younger brother,[7] Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, was posted with the British Army to the Canadas, and later Halifax, where he acted as Commander-in-Chief of the Maritimes between 1791 and 1798 and again from 1799 to 1800.

[7] During his time in Nova Scotia, he presided over the expansion of Halifax, and improved the city's defences[50] Following the formation of the Canadian federation in 1867, a proper military was established for the new country.

[51] Though Borden blamed the military secretary of the day, Edward Stanton, he also opined that Prince Arthur "laboured under the handicap of his position as a member of the Royal Family and never realised his limitations as Governor General.

"[52] Arthur's wife, Princess Louise Margaret, Duchess of Connaught, also helped in the war effort, forming volunteer groups to make supplies for Canadian soldiers overseas; for Christmas in 1915, she sent a card and a box of maple sugar to every Canadian serving in Europe and she had a knitting machine installed at Rideau Hall, on which she made thousands of pairs of socks for soldiers.

Two years later, the King presided over a number of military ceremonies in Canada, including dedicating the National War Memorial in Ottawa and presenting colours to regiments.

By 1968, the unification of all three elements into the unified Canadian Forces took effect at the recommendation of then Defence Minister Paul Hellyer, over the protests of many senior generals, admirals, and air marshals.

As the Canadian Forces came to be deployed mostly on United Nations peacekeeping operations following the Korean War, the role of the royals and viceroys to turned more towards observation and interaction, rather than morale boosting.

The Queen, her mother, sister, children, and cousins, as well as governors general, visited with forces personnel either in Canada or abroad, undertook various duties on behalf of the organization, and dedicated armed conflict and military memorials.

She was there accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who was dressed in the uniform of the Royal Canadian Regiment, which both fought at Vimy Ridge and had just the day previous lost six members during combat operations in Afghanistan.

[77] Almost one year later, Prince Charles officiated at the Remembrance Day ceremonies at the National War Memorial in Ottawa,[78] there wearing his uniform as a Lieutenant-General of the Canadian Army.

The death of the last Canadian veteran of World War I came in 2010 and, on the anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April that year, Queen Elizabeth II issued a statement marking the two events, stating: "As proud and grateful Canadians, we pause today to mark not only the ninety-third anniversary of this Nation's victory at Vimy Ridge but also to pay tribute to the passing of a truly remarkable generation who helped to end the most terrible conflict the world had ever known.