Will the CAF need to go through the same process following the death of any future Sovereign?
No. The Canadian Royal Crown was created by the Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA), 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.
Do units need to make a request to DHH to have their identifiers updated?
No.The Directorate of History and Heritage (DHH) will follow its plan to update all CAF identifiers (primary, secondary, and supplementary badges; Colours and flags, insignia, ranks, and accoutrements such as drums and maces, etc.) over the course of the next few years.
Are our unit identifiers still valid with its current crown (St. Edward’s Crown)?
Yes. St. Edward’s Crown remains valid until it is officially updated with the Canadian Royal Crown. Existing insignia with St. Edward’s Crown will be replaced on an attrition basis; old stock will be depleted prior to purchasing any new items.
Can units update their identifiers on their own?
No. CAF units are not permitted to modify their identifiers independently, as all designs must be approved by the Inspector of CAF Colours and Badges.
How long will it take for all the identifiers to be updated?
After King George VI’s death in 1952, it was not until the early 1960s that all military identifiers had been updated to the St. Edward’s Crown. While today’s process is expected to be faster, it will still take several years due to the volume of identifiers across the CAF.
The CAF primary badge, along with those of the Command and ADM categories, were updated and released to the appropriate CAF/DND authorities on 12 January 2026.
DHH will gradually update all CAF identifiers throughout 2026 and 2027.
Will all CAF Primary Badges be updated with the new crown?
Yes, with a few exceptions. Most Royal Canadian Navy primary badges will not transition to the Canadian Royal Crown since they display the Naval Crown; a few Canadian Army primary badges will not be updated since they display a different Royal Crown or no Royal Crown at all.
Who do we contact for more information?
All unit requests for additional information are to be sent via their Chain of Command. Units may not contact CHA directly as their requests will not be answered. General enquiries may be directed to DHH6Heritage-DHP6patrimoine@forces.gc.ca.
An Aide-Mémoire of the primary badge design process is available upon request from DHH (DHH6Heritage-DHP6patrimoine@forces.gc.ca).
Typically, any new primary badges are hand-painted by CHA, authorized by the Governor General (GG) and stored at DHH. The process for designing and approving new badges takes, on average, 12-18 months. Fortunately, the transition to the Canadian Royal Crown will not require the same design and approval steps, as the updates will be completed electronically by DHH’s graphic artist. Once approved, DHH will distribute digital images of the updated and approved artwork for all unit identifiers. The original hand-painted artwork will continue to be stored at DHH.
CAF and DND employees will gradually notice the updated artwork of these primary badges in their daily tasks.
