Really, can Friday stories get much better than this?
A penguin who was previously made a Colonel-in-Chief of the Norwegian Army has been knighted at Edinburgh Zoo.
Penguin Nils Olav has been an honorary member and mascot of the Norwegian King’s Guard since the 1972.
Over the years, he has been promoted through the ranks after being adopted by Royal Guard who visited the zoo.
During the ceremony, Nils had a sword dubbed on each side of his head, where his shoulders should be, to confirm his regimental knighthood.
A crowd of several hundred people joined the 130 guardsmen at the zoo. A citation from King Harald the Fifth of Norway was read out, which described Nils as a penguin “in every way qualified to receive the honour and dignity of knighthood”.
The guardsmen come to see Nils every few years while they are in Edinburgh performing at the city’s Military Tattoo.
Penguin Nils Olav has been an honorary member and mascot of the Norwegian King’s Guard since the 1972.
Over the years, he has been promoted through the ranks after being adopted by Royal Guard who visited the zoo.
During the ceremony, Nils had a sword dubbed on each side of his head, where his shoulders should be, to confirm his regimental knighthood.
A crowd of several hundred people joined the 130 guardsmen at the zoo. A citation from King Harald the Fifth of Norway was read out, which described Nils as a penguin “in every way qualified to receive the honour and dignity of knighthood”.
The guardsmen come to see Nils every few years while they are in Edinburgh performing at the city’s Military Tattoo.
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