Patience is a virtue: The transition to the Canadian Royal Crown for CAF identifiers

January 16, 2025 - Defence Stories

Estimated read time - 2:15

In April 2023, His Majesty King Charles III approved the design of the Canadian Royal Crown, a new heraldic symbol representing the Sovereign's authority in Canada. As a result, the Royal Crown which represented the reign of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, will be updated on all CAF identifiers.

The Canadian Royal Crown was created at the request of the Government of Canada to serve in perpetuity, regardless of the reigning monarch, meaning no similar redesign process will be required in the future. As described in an earlier article, the Canadian Royal Crown honours many traditional features while also introducing uniquely Canadian motifs.

Soon, CAF members will notice the gradual transition to identifiers displaying the Canadian Royal Crown. Historically, similar transitions have taken years. After King George VI'sdeath in 1952, it was not until the early 1960s that all military identifiers had been updated to the St. Edward'sCrown. While today's process is expected to be faster, it will still take several years due to the volume of identifiers across the CAF.

Units are not required to submit a request to have their identifiers updated as this will be done automatically by the Directorate of History and Heritage (DHH). CAF units are not permitted to modify their identifiers independently, as all designs must be approved by the Inspector of CAF Colours and Badges.

Typically, any new primary badges are hand painted by the Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA), authorized by the Governor General (GG)and stored at DHH. The process for designing and approving new badges takes, on average, 12-18 months. Fortunately, the transition to the Canadian Royal Crown will not require the same design and approval steps, as the updates will be completed electronically by DHH's graphic artist. Once approved, DHH will distribute digital images of the updated and approved artwork for all unit identifiers (primary badge, Colours, flags, etc.). The original hand-painted artwork will continue to be stored at DHH.

In 2024, all primary badge frames were modified to include the updated Crown, an important first step in the transition process. The CAF primary badge and all Command/Assistant Deputy Minister badges have also been updated and will be distributed accordingly in January 2026. DHH will gradually update the remaining identifiers (Group, Branch, Corps, and Units) throughout 2026 and 2027.

Artwork with the St. Edward's Crown remain valid until it is officially updated with the Canadian Royal Crown. Existing insignia with the St. Edward's Crown will be replaced on an attrition basis; old stock must be depleted prior to purchasing any new items.

Units may not contact CHA directly as their requests will not be answered. All unit requests are to be sent via their Chain of Command. General inquiries may be directed to [email protected].