HE IS considered a VIP – a very important penguin. Nils Olav, an honorary member and mascot of the Norwegian King’s Guard since 1972, has received a knighthood at Edinburgh Zoo. Over the years, he has been promoted through the ranks after being adopted by the guardsmen when they visited the Royal Zoological Society of Edinburgh, the charity that owns the popular visitor attraction. During the ceremony, Nils had a sword dubbed on each side of his head, where his shoulders should be, to confirm his regimental knighthood. A crowd of several hundred joined the 130 guardsmen at the zoo where a citation from King Harald the Fifth of Norway was read out describing Nils as a penguin “in every way qualified to receive the honour and dignity of knighthood”. British major general Euan Loudon officiated at the ceremony. Nils has also received medals for long service and had a 4ft bronze statue built in his honour. Guardsman captain Rune Wiik said: “We are extremely proud of Nils Olav and pleased that an enduring part of the Royal Guard is resident in Scotland helping to further strengthen ties between our two countries.” However, the penguin honoured is unfortunately not the original Nils Olav. He died in the 1980s and was replaced by a two-year-old penguin at the Zoo. Norway presented the zoo with its first king penguin in 1913, the year of its opening.
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