page_title: The Canadian Crown and the Canadian Armed Forces
section_title: Ceremonies and protocols
hierarchical_section_title: The Canadian Crown and the Canadian Armed Forces / Symbolism and traditions / Ceremonies and protocols
caption_attribution_description: English: Rideau Hall, Main Gate
context_page_description: The relationship between the Canadian Crown and the Canadian Armed Forces is both constitutional and ceremonial with the Queen of Canada being the Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces and with the Queen 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 modern construct stems from Canada's system of constitutional monarchy, and through its 500 years of monarchical history. The role of the Canadian sovereign within the Canadian Armed Forces is established within the Canadian constitution, the National Defence Act, and the Queen's Regulations and Orders for the Canadian Forces. This relationship is symbolically represented today 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.
context_section_description: Many ceremonies and rituals of the Canadian Forces have a royal connection. For example, the military traditionally mounts what is known as the Queen's Guard (or King's Guard during the reign of a male 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 eight times since 1916, including Canadian Coronation Contingents for King George VI in May 1937 and for Queen Elizabeth II in May 1953. Also, whenever the sovereign or a member of her 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, symbolically 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 such events, an order of precedence is followed for organising participants and according respect and honours. The official Canadian order of precedence is the only one used in relation to the military, in which the monarch takes first place, followed by the governor general, and then other members of the Royal Family. The provincial viceroys fall in at sixteenth on the list, behind the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. The Royal Anthem of Canada, "God Save the Queen," is normally played, as may be the Viceregal Salute for the governor general or lieutenant governor, if either is representing the sovereign. 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 to 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.
caption: Members of the Canadian Grenadier Guards performing public duties at Rideau Hall. The Guards are one of three units that comprise the Household Division for Canada.
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