An aide-de-camp (French for camp assistant) is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state. The first aide-de-camp is the foremost personal aide.

In some countries, aide-de-camp is considered to be a title of honour (which confers the post-nominal letters ADC), and participates at ceremonial functions.

In the United Kingdom junior officers also serve as Aides-de-Camp to certain senior officers. Flag Lieutenant is the Royal Navy equivalent. Equerries are equivalents to Aides-de-Camp in the Royal Household, in which ADC's are restricted to senior officers with a primarily honorific role.

There are several categories of these senior aides de camp to The Queen. Most are serving military, naval and RAF officers, usually of colonel or brigadier rank or equivalent. There are also specific posts for very senior officers, such as First and Principal Naval Aide de Camp, Flag Aide de Camp, Aides de Camp General, and Air Aides de Camp. Analogous offices include the Lieutenant of the Admiralty, the Rear Admiral of the United Kingdom, and the Gold Stick.

Certain members of the Royal Family with military rank may be appointed Personal Aides de Camp to The Queen. Those currently holding this appointment are Field Marshal Edward, Duke of Kent, Vice Admiral Charles, Prince of Wales, Captain Mark Phillips, 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards, Captain Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Royal Navy, and Rear Admiral Timothy Laurence.

Similarly, Geraud Duroc was made an aide-de-camp to Napoleon in 1796, and first aide-de-camp in 1798.

The badge of office for an aide-de-camp is the aiguillette, a braided cord in gold or other colours, worn with a uniform on the left (or sometimes right) shoulder.

Canada

Aides-de-Camp in Canada are appointed to the Governor General, Lieutenant Governors of the Provinces and to certain other appointments. In addition to the military officers appointed as fulltime Aides-de-Camp to the Governor General, several other senior officers are appointed ex officio as honourary Aides-de-Camp to the Governor General including:

Chief of the Defence Staff Commandant, The Royal Military College of Canada; Commandant, Royal Roads Military College; a senior officer of the Royal 22e Regiment (in Quebec); Commanding Officer, The Governor General's Horse Guards; Commanding Officer, Governor General's Foot Guards; Commanding Officer, The Canadian Grenadier Guards; the commanding officers of Reserve Naval Divisions;

Aides-de-Camp to the Governor General wear a gold aiguillette when acting in their official capacity and also wear the Governor General's badge on their shoulders.

Aides-de-Camp to the Lieutenant Governors are appointed from officers of the Canadian Forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Depending on the province, aides may also be appointed from other uniformed organizations and in certain cases, even civilians. Civilians do not wear the aiguillette, but all may wear their Lieutenant Governor's badge (the arms of the province surmounted by the Royal crown) as a symbol of their appointment and use the post-nominal AdeC.

Aides-de-Camp to Vice-Regal principals wear the aiguillette on the right shoulder.

Several general or flag officers of the Canadian Forces also have aides-de-camp appointed to them. These aides wear a gold aiguillette on the left shoulder.

United States

Within the United States Army, aides-de-camps are specifically appointed to general-grade officers only (NATO Code OF-6 through OF-10), rank and amount determined by the grade. For those general officers with more than one aide, the senior-ranking aide is usually considered to be the senior aide and serves in the capacity of coordinating the other aides and the others of the general's personal staff such as the driver, orderlies, et cetera. For the majority officers, the maximum tour of duty for aides is generally two years. The following is a listing of the accepted number of aides alloted a general officer:

Brigadier General: 1 First Lieutenant

Major General: 1 Captain; 1 :Lieutenant

Lieutenant General: 1 Major; 1 Captain

General: 1 Lieutenant Colonel, 1 Major, 1 Captain

General of the Army (or Chief of Staff, USA): 1 Colonel, 1 Lieutenant Colonel, 1 Major

Lieutenant Colonels and Colonels commanding units (battalions and brigades, respectively) do not have aides, but it is generally accepted that the unit's adjutant—called the S-1—also serves the commanding officer as an aide.

Sources

• Crocker, Lawrence P. ^* (1996) Army Officer's Guide 47th ed., Harrisburg:Stackpole Books. ISBN 0811726658.

French phrases | Positions within the British Royal Household