Commodore-in-Chief

Commodore-in-Chief is an honorary Royal Navy appointment bestowed by the Queen on various members of the Royal Family on 8 August 2006.

Previously there have been honorary Royal Colonels in the British Army and honorary Air Commodores in the Royal Air Force, but no parallel affiliations with the Royal Navy.

Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, First Sea Lord, said on news of the appointments:

"I am delighted at the news of these appointments. They firmly underline the strength of the bond between the Royal Family and the Armed Forces, not least the Naval Service in which so many members of the Royal family have served with great distinction over the years."^[1]

Commodore-in-Chief is an appointment rather than a rank. Holding an appointment of Commodore-in-Chief does not confer upon the holder the rank of Commodore or indeed any other rank. Members of the Royal Family wear the uniform of their rank and are not issued with a different uniform for the appointment.

Commodores-in-Chief

Holder	Naval rank (if any)	Appointment[2]	Dates
HRH The Prince of Wales	Admiral	Commodore-in-Chief, Plymouth	2006
HRH The Duke of Cambridge	Lieutenant	Commodore-in-Chief, Scotland Commodore-in-Chief, Submarines	2006
HRH Prince Harry of Wales	–	Commodore-in-Chief, Small Ships and Diving	2006
HRH The Duchess of Cornwall	-	Commodore-in-Chief, Naval Medical Services	2006
HRH The Duke of York	Hon. Rear-Admiral	Commodore-in-Chief, Fleet Air Arm	2006
HRH The Earl of Wessex	-	Commodore-in-Chief, Royal Fleet Auxiliary	2006
HRH The Princess Royal	Vice-Admiral	Commodore-in-Chief, Portsmouth	2006
HRH Prince Michael of Kent	Hon. Rear-Admiral (MR)	Commodore-in-Chief, Maritime Reserves	2006

See also

• Air Commodore-in-Chief, the Royal Air Force appointment which pre-dates Commodore-in-Chief

References

1. ^ "New Royal Patrons revealed by the Queen". MOD. 2006-08-10 (archive date). Archived from the original on 2006-08-10. http://web.archive.org/web/20060810144808/http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/DefencePolicyAndBusiness/NewRoyalNavyPatronsRevealedByTheQueen.htm. Retrieved 2007-11-01. 
2. ^ "Appointment of new Royal Navy patrons". Buckingham Palace. 2006-08-08. http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page5444.asp. Retrieved 2007-11-01.