Knighted Penguin Inspects Norwegian Troops

[Thanks Harry!] 

A highly decorated king penguin has been given a promotion in a special ceremony at Edinburgh Zoo.

Resident king penguin Sir Nils Olav is an honorary member of the King of Norway’s Guard and gets to inspect the soldiers when they visit the Scottish capital.

Already a knight, the famous penguin has now been given the new title of Brigadier Sir Nils Olav.

The honour was bestowed upon the penguin during a ceremony attended by more than 50 Norwegian soldiers from the unit.

Edinburgh Zoo has a long history with penguins and Norway. The Norwegian family of Christian Salvesen presented the Zoo with its first-ever king penguin in 1913, another reason why Sir Nils the Penguin is so special.

Nils Olav the Penguin inspects the Kings Guard of Norway after being bestowed with a knighthood at Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland.
The King’s Guard adopted the penguin as their mascot in 1972 during a visit to Edinburgh for the annual Military Tattoo. The tradition has stuck and each time the Guards visit the city, Nils Olav is promoted and invited to inspect the troops once more.

After his adoption, Sir Nils was given the role of mascot of the Norwegian Guard. Since then, he has steadily moved up the ranks:

.
1982 – Corporal
1987 – Sergeant
1993 – Regimental Sergeant Major
2001 – Honourable Regimental Sergeant Major
2005 – Colonel-in-Chief
2008 – Knighthood

• The Soldiers like to visit Nils every few years while they are in the city performing at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

• Sir Nils Olav as he is officially known, is regarded very highly among the Norwegian Guardsman and has received these honours and medals due to his outstanding service and good conduct. 

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