The Norwegian army was in Britain yesterday to bestow military honours on one of the members of its ranks.
However, the setting - a zoo - was a little unusual and the Regimental Sergeant Major in question was a king penguin named Nils Olav. He was promoted to the rank of Honourable Regimental Sergeant Major of Norway in a formal event complete with all the pomp and ceremony expected of such a military occasion. Despite a slight flutter of wings, the 14kg bird seemed mostly at ease throughout.
The Royal Norwegian Guard, in Scotland to participate in the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, performed at the ceremony to bestow the honour on Nils Olav.
To the sound of the guards' band, the bird held his head high as he was led out of the penguin pool and stood still and silent as the commanding officer, Bjarne Nermo, introduced the penguin to around 200 onlookers.
Nils Egelien, now a retired major, said as a result of "extraordinarily good" reports from the zoo, the penguin would be promoted.
To mark the occasion, zoo keeper Rob Thomas placed a silver badge on the right flipper of the penguin, who has been sponsored by the Norwegian Army. Nils Olav, around 80cm tall, proudly showed off his new honour to the crowd but ignored a request to inspect the 18 guardsmen who patiently stood to attention. His new title had been kept a closely-guarded secret until the ceremony, with the zoo saying it was known only to King Harald of Norway and a few advisers.
After the ceremony Mr Thomas said: "I don't think he would have been disappointed he didn't make it as an officer; the title he was given today is a bonus. . . I'm sure he will get a treat tonight - maybe some extra supplements in his fish." Nils Olav was originally sponsored after a lieutenant in the Norwegian King's Guard, Nils Egelien, was enraptured by the zoo's penguins on a visit in 1961. The sponsorship was arranged on the regiment's next visit in 1972, when Nils Olav was given the rank of lance corporal. He was subsequently promoted to sergeant in 1987, but died and was replaced in 1993 by a two-year-old king penguin, also named Nils Olav, who was promoted to regimental sergeant major.