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Commodore-in-Chief

Honorary appointment in Commonwealth realms

Honorary appointment in Commonwealth realms

Commodore-in-chief is an honorary appointment bestowed by the monarch of the Commonwealth realms on various members of the Royal Family. Previously, there have been honorary air commodores-in-chief in the British Royal Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force, but no parallel affiliations with the navies of either country.

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. However, Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, who was appointed the Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in 2006, has since appeared in the uniform of an RFA Commodore followed by The Prince of Wales in 2023 when he wore the uniform of a RN Commodore.

Canada

It was announced on 3 May 2015 that Charles, Prince of Wales, and Anne, Princess Royal, had been appointed by their mother, the Queen of Canada, as commodores-in-chief; Charles is Commodore-in-Chief (Fleet Atlantic) and Anne Commodore-in-Chief (Fleet Pacific). The appointment was timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the cessation of the Battle of the Atlantic.

United Kingdom

Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, First Sea Lord, said on news of the 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."

HolderNaval rank (if any)AppointmentDates
The KingAdmiral of the FleetCommodore-in-Chief, Plymouth
Commodore-in-Chief, Aircraft Carriers2006
2019
The Queen-Commodore-in-Chief, Naval Medical Services
Commodore-in-Chief, Royal Navy Chaplaincy Service2006
The Prince of WalesCommanderCommodore-in-Chief, Scotland
Commodore-in-Chief, Submarines2006
The Princess of Wales-Commodore-in-Chief, Fleet Air Arm2023
The Duke of Edinburgh-Commodore-in-Chief, Royal Fleet Auxiliary2006
The Princess RoyalAdmiralCommodore-in-Chief, Portsmouth2006
Prince Michael of KentVice-AdmiralCommodore-in-Chief, Maritime Reserves2006
Vacant-Commodore-in-Chief, Small Ships and DivingSince 2021

Appointees may wear the uniform and insignia of a Royal Navy Commodore, with insignia of the service (i.e. the Submarine Warfare Insignia), with many appointment holders opting to wear the naval uniform of their substantive or higher honorary rank.

Malaysia

As a member of the Commonwealth, Malaysia inherited British naval customs and traditions. The origins of the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) can be traced to 1934, when naval formations were first established in British Malaya under British administration. There is no surviving record of who held the honorary appointment of Commodore-in-Chief for these pre-independence formations, though it is most likely that the British monarch fulfilled the role.

Following independence, the appointment of Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Malaysian Navy was reintroduced, with Malay rulers subsequently installed to hold this honorary distinction. The list of holders is as follows:

  • Naval Ensign of Malaysia.svg Commodore-in-chief of the Royal Malaysian Navy
    • Sultan Sir Ismail of Johor (1960–1981)
    • Sultan Iskandar of Johor (1981–1984), later appointed as the Colonel-in-Chief of the Gerak Khas starting in 1984
    • Sultan Salahuddin of Selangor (1984–2001)
    • Sultan Sharafuddin of Selangor (2001–present)

References

References

  1. [https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/256487/Meanwhile-yet-another-uniform-for-Edward Meanwhile, yet another uniform for Edward]
  2. "Prince William's royal first in 13 years and the 'poignant' significance behind it". Hello Magazine.
  3. Government of Canada. (3 May 2015). "Minister Kenney announces Royal appointments to the Royal Canadian Navy". Queen's Printer for Canada.
  4. (8 October 2006). "New Royal Patrons revealed by the Queen". Ministry of Defence.
  5. (2006-08-08). "Appointment of new Royal Navy patrons". Buckingham Palace.
  6. . (10 December 2019). ["Prince of Wales becomes Commodore-in-Chief, Aircraft Carriers, as namesake ship commissions"](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2019/december/10/191012-prince-charles-new-role). *Royal Navy*.
  7. (19 February 2021). "Megxit: The groups and charities saying goodbye to Harry and Meghan". ITV News.
  8. National Archives of Malaysia. "Sejarah Armada Negara".
  9. Mohamed Ali, Ramlan. (2022). "My Years in Service & After (1970–2022) ~Admiral Ramlan". RMN Sea Power Centre.
Info: Wikipedia Source

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