King Penguin Gets Royal Honour –

He Was Already in Tails- So No Need to Dress up!Blog 200

Now my knowledge of Norway is largely influenced by Oliver Postgate’s terrific animation series Noggin the Nog and so you could have knocked me down with a penguin feather when I found out that a penguin can have a hereditary name, in this case Nils Olov; and that they are also the mascots of the Norwegian King’s Guard. An honour they have held since 1972.

Brigadier Olov

To add to this surprise a bird, naturally called Nils Olov, has been made a Brigadier in the aforesaid unit. Jings! The King penguin from Edinburgh Zoo was given the honour by members of the Norwegian King’s Guard who are performing at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Altogether there have been three penguins called Nils Olav at the capital’s Zoo. Nils Olov was even knighted in 2008. It’s like a day at the Rio Olympics, honours everywhere!

Ties of Warm Friendship

Now Scotland is an oil rich nation just like Norway and there are close ties between the countries. The King of Norway fled to Britain after the Nazi invasion and the Norwegians have long memories for friendly acts. So it is grand that we can celebrate these things together, even with a tongue firmly in cheek. Brigadier Olov was even allowed to inspect the royal guard.

Take a Gander Not a Penguin at Our Offers

If you want to celebrate a close friendship with a gift of charm and worth you could do a lot worse than take a gander at our ranges. You can check out our lovely Royal Crown Derby avians and you won’t get the bird from anyone.

https://www.jamespirie.com/collectibles/royal-crown-derby/birds.html