Commodore-in-chief is an honorary appointment bestowed by the monarch of the

Commonwealth realm A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations that has the same constitutional monarch and head of state as the other realms. The current monarch is King Charles III. Except for the United Kingdom, in each of the re ...

s on various members of the Royal Family. Previously, there have been honorary air commodores-in-chief in the British

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

and

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

, 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 Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh (Edward Antony Richard Louis; born 10 March 1964) is a member of the British royal family. He is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the youngest sibling of King ...

, who was appointed the Commodore-in-Chief of the

Royal Fleet Auxiliary The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service and provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RF ...

in 2006, has since appeared in the uniform of an RFA Commodore followed by

The Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

in 2023 when he wore the uniform of a RN Commodore.

Canada

It was announced on 3 May 2015 that

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, a ...

, and

Anne, Princess Royal Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of King ...

, 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 The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allies of World War II, ...

United Kingdom

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Sir Jonathon Band,

First Sea Lord First Sea Lord, officially known as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1SL/CNS), is the title of a statutory position in the British Armed Forces, held by an Admiral (Royal Navy), admiral or a General (United Kingdom), general of the ...

, 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." {, class="wikitable" style="margin:auto;" , -bgcolor=cccccc !Holder!!Naval rank (if any)!!Appointment!!Dates , - , The King , ,

Admiral of the Fleet An admiral of the fleet or shortened to fleet admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to field marshal and marshal of the air force. An admiral of the fleet is typically senior to an admiral. It is also a generic ter ...

, , Commodore-in-Chief,

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

Commodore-in-Chief, Aircraft Carriers, , 2006
2019 , - , The Queen, , - , , Commodore-in-Chief, Naval Medical Services
Commodore-in-Chief, Royal Navy Chaplaincy Service, , 2006 , - ,

, ,

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

, , Commodore-in-Chief,

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

Commodore-in-Chief,

Submarines A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or info ...

, , 2006 , - , The Princess of Wales, , -, , Commodore-in-Chief,

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...

, , 2023 , - , The Duke of Edinburgh, , -, , Commodore-in-Chief,

, , 2006 , - ,

The Princess Royal Princess Royal is a title customarily (but not automatically) awarded by British monarchs to their eldest daughters. Although purely honorary, it is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of the royal family. There have been ...

, ,

, , Commodore-in-Chief,

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

, , 2006 , - ,

Prince Michael of Kent Prince Michael of Kent (Michael George Charles Franklin; born 4 July 1942) is a member of the British royal family who is 53rd in line to the British throne as of 2025. The younger son of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Gr ...

, ,

Vice-Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...

, , Commodore-in-Chief, Maritime Reserves, , 2006 , - , ''Vacant'', , -, , Commodore-in-Chief, Small Ships and Diving, , Since 2021{{cite news , url=https://www.itv.com/news/2021-02-19/megxit-the-groups-and-charities-saying-goodbye-to-harry-and-meghan , title=Megxit: The groups and charities saying goodbye to Harry and Meghan , date=19 February 2021 , work=ITV News , accessdate=20 February 2021 Appointees may wear the uniform and ensgina of a Royal Navy Commodore, with ensgina 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

The

Sultan of Selangor Sultan of Selangor (سلطان سلاڠور) is the title of the constitutional ruler of Selangor, Malaysia who is the head of state and head of the Islamic religion in Selangor. The current monarch, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah ascended the t ...

, currently

Sharafuddin of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj Ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Alhaj (Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ; born 24 December 1945) has been the Sultan of Selangor since ascending to the throne in November 2001. Early life and education S ...

, holds the dignity and appointment of Commodore-in-Chief of the

Royal Malaysian Navy The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN, ; Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ) is the naval arm of the Malaysian Armed Forces. RMN is the main agency responsible for the country's maritime surveillance and defence operations. RMN's area of operation consists of 603,2 ...

since 1984.

References

Royal Navy appointments Monarchy of the United Kingdom Honorary military appointments Monarchy of Canada