Update: The transition to the Canadian Royal Crown for CAF identifiers

July 23, 2026 – Defence Stories

Estimated read time – 1:29

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 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) identifiers.

Some CAF members may have noticed that certain identifiers have already been updated to feature the Canadian Royal Crown. This is the beginning of a gradual transition that will take several years to complete due to the volume of identifiers across the CAF.

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 badges have been updated and were distributed in January 2026. The Directorate of History and Heritage (DHH) will update the remaining 800 identifiers (Group, Formation, Branch, Corps, and Unit) throughout 2026 and 2027.

Units are reminded that they are not required to submit a request to have their identifiers updated as this will be done automatically by DHH. CAF entities (Groups, Formations, Branches, Corps, Units, etc.) are not authorized to modify their identifiers independently, as all designs must be reviewed and approved by the Inspector of CAF Colours and Badges.

Digital artwork featuring St. Edward’s Crown remains valid until an official version incorporating the Canadian Royal Crown is released. Once the artwork becomes available, the previous version will be considered obsolete, and the new version must be used. Meanwhile, physical items bearing St. Edward’s Crown will be replaced on an attrition basis; old stock must be depleted prior to purchasing any new items.

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.

All unit requests are to be sent via their Chain of Command. General enquiries may be directed to DHH6Heritage-DHP6patrimoine@forces.gc.ca.