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It’s now Sir Nils

Majestic show: Nils Olav, the knighted penguin inspects soldiers of his regiment as they visit him in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Friday.

LONDON: Nils Olav already has medals for good conduct and long service. He made honorary Colonel-in-Chief of the elite Norwegian King’s Guard in 2005. And on Friday he was knighted. Not bad for a 3-foot-tall penguin — actually, three of them.

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 by Lieutenant Nils Egelien. The guards adopted him because they often toured the zoo during their visits to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, an annual military music festival, said zoo spokeswoman Maxine Finlay.

The king penguin was named after Lt. Egelien and Norway’s then-King Olav V. When the penguin died — Ms. Finlay said no one at the zoo knew exactly when — he was replaced by a second penguin, who inherited Nils Olav’s name and rank.

The current Nils Olav, the third penguin to serve as the guards’ mascot, was promoted from honourable regimental Sergeant-Major to honorary Colonel-in-Chief in 2005, said Ms. Finlay.

The knighthood ceremony on Friday began with speeches and a fanfare before Nils arrived, under escort with the King’s Guard Colour Detachment. He then reviewed the troops lined up, waddling down the row of soldiers, occasionally stopping to crane his neck and peer inquisitively at their uniforms before being guided forward by his handler. Nils was knighted by British Major-General Euan Loudon on behalf of Norway’s King Harald V. — AP

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