The last time they dropped in at the king penguin enclosure the guardsmen unveiled a 4ft bronze statue in his honour. Over the years, the famous king penguin has been promoted up through the ranks to attain his lofty. Nils Olav (thats the penguin) is already a Colonel-in-Chief in the Norwegian Kings Guard, as well as being their mascot. He received the latest honour from the man who began the link with the zoo, now Maj Nils Egelien Rtd.Īccording to Darren McGarry, animal collection manager at the zoo, the penguin recognizes the guardsmen whenever they come to visit. A penguin at Edinburgh Zoo was today knighted by the Norwegian Army. Sir Nils has since been promoted on six separate visits, rising from a lowly Lce Cpl in 1962 to become Colonel-in-Chief in 2005. It was named after the lieutenant and the then King Olav of Norway. Ten years later he persuaded his regiment to sponsor a king penguin and a bird was chosen as the guards' mascot. The country's association with the zoo dates from 1962 when a young lieutenant, Nils Egelien, saw the animals during a visit to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. A resident of Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland, the original Nils Olav was made an honorary member of the King’s Guard in 1972 after being picked out as the guard’s mascot. Last week saw the knighting of a prominent member of the elite Norwegian King’s Guard - Nils the penguin. The current Nils Olav, or Sir Nils as he is now known, is a successor to the first penguin adopted by the Norwegian guards more than 30 years ago. King penguin receives Norwegian knighthood. Someone in charge of leading level 4s in all. There to feel out the ranks of the order. 4: what military knights enter the order as, your common foot soldier knights. Foreign soldiers awarded knighthood will be level five. He then listened, as far as anyone could tell, to a musical fanfare from the trumpet corps and a special message from King Harald V before being rewarded for his impeccable performance with some dead fish. Most become a level 5 as an honorary title. Nils Olav, a king penguin at Edinburgh Zoo that doubles as the honorary colonel of the King's Guards of Norway, was knighted in a ceremony involving 130 guardsmen.Īmid cheers from bemused onlookers, the military penguin waddled out to inspect the troops and receive his knighthood. A penguin that enjoys the rare military distinction of having been promoted through the ranks from lance corporal to colonel-in-chief has picked up yet another honour.
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