Lifestyle
A Knighted Penguin Receives an Even Bigger Honor in Scotland
On August 22nd, a special ceremony was held for king penguin Sir Nils Olav at the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland. He was honored by 50 soldiers of His Majesty the King of Norway’s Guard while press and staff looked on adoringly. His new title is Brigadier Sir Nils Olav.
Sir Nils Olav is given a new rank every few years to celebrate the Zoo’s mascot and bond between two countries. The Edinburgh Zoo’s website quotes Barbara Smith, Acting Chief Executive Officer for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, as saying, “We are honoured to host His Majesty the King of Norway’s Guard as they bestow a prestigious new title upon our king penguin, Sir Nils Olav. It is a very proud moment and represents the close collaboration between our two countries, Scotland and Norway.”
Sir Nils started off with the title of Mascot in the ’70s. From there, he has worked his way up to Corporal, Sergeant, Colonel-in-Chief and Knighthood to Brigadier Sir.
Video of the penguin’s special ceremony can be seen below. At one point he lets out a mighty cry in celebration (or perhaps confusion). The salute around 2:20 in is a particularly priceless moment.
