Colonel-in-Chief Sir Nils Olav is a king penguin who resides in Edinburgh Zoo, Scotland. He is the mascot and Colonel-in-Chief of the Norwegian Royal Guard. Nils was visited by soldiers from the Norwegian Royal Guard on 15 August 2008 and awarded knighthood. The honour was approved by King Harald V. During the ceremony a crowd of several hundred people joined the 130 guardsmen at the zoo to hear a citation from the King read out, which described Nils as a penguin "in every way qualified to receive the honour and dignity of knighthood". The name 'Nils Olav' has also been given to two other king penguins who preceded the current Nils Olav as the King's Guard's mascot.