Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

Sir Paul Woollven Greening (4 June 1928 – 5 November 2008) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

officer and courtier, who served as

Naval Secretary The Naval Secretary is the Royal Navy officer who advises the First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff on naval officer appointing (and General Officers). Their counterpart in the British Army is the Military Secretary. The Royal Air Force equi ...

and

Master of the Household The Master of the Household is the operational head (see Chief operating officer) of the "below stairs" elements of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom. The role has charge of the domestic staff, from the Royal Kitchens, the pages and footm ...

Naval career

Educated at Mowden School and the Nautical College at Pangbourne, Greening joined the

in 1946.Debrett's People of Today 1994 He was given command of the

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

s HMS ''Asheldham'', HMS ''Messina'', HMS ''Lewiston'' and then the

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

HMS ''Jaguar''. He was appointed Fleet Plans Officer for the

Far East Fleet The Far East Fleet (also called the Far East Station) was a fleet of the Royal Navy from 1952 to 1971. During the Second World War, the Eastern Fleet included many ships and personnel from other navies, including the navies of the Netherlands, ...

in 1969 and, following his promotion to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, given command of the

HMS ''Aurora'' in 1970. He went on to be Captain, Naval Drafting in 1971, Director of Seaman Officer Appointments in 1974 and Captain of the

Royal Naval College, Dartmouth Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, ...

in 1976. Promoted to rear admiral, he became

in 1978 and Flag Officer, Royal Yachts with specific responsibility for HM Yacht ''Britannia'' in 1981. He was responsible for planning the

honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds after their wedding to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase in a couple ...

of the

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

and

Princess of Wales Princess of Wales (; ) is a title used since the 14th century by the wife of the Prince of Wales. The Princess is the apparent future queen consort, as "Prince of Wales" is a title reserved by custom for the heir apparent to the Monarchy of the ...

in August 1981.Obituary: Rear Admiral Sir Paul Greening
Daily Telegraph, 19 November 2008 He retired in 1985. He was appointed an Extra Equerry to the Queen in 1983 and

of the

Sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title that can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to ...

from 1986 to 1992.

Family

In 1951 he married Monica West (pre-deceased); they had a son and daughter.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Greening, Paul 1928 births 2008 deaths 20th-century Royal Navy personnel People educated at Pangbourne College Royal Navy rear admirals Military personnel from West Sussex Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Masters of the Household