| Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom | |
|---|---|
 Flag of the Lord High Admiral | |
_1.33_crop.jpg) | |
| Type | Great Officer of State |
| Appointer | TheMonarch |
| Precursor |
|
| Formation |
|
| First holder | The 4th Earl of Arundel as High Admiral of England, Ireland and Aquitaine |
| Deputy | Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom |
Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom (of England beginning in the 14th century, later ofGreat Britain from 1707 to 1800)[1] is the title of the ceremonial head of theRoyal Navy. Most have been courtiers or members of theBritish royal family, and not professional naval officers. The Lord High Admiral is one of the nine EnglishGreat Officers of State and since 2021 is held personally by the reigning monarch (currentlyKing Charles III, who is alsoCommander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces).[2]
In 1385Richard Fitzalan, 4th Earl of Arundel, was appointed Admiral of England, reuniting the offices ofAdmiral of the North andAdmiral of the West, separate from 1294. From 1388 the offices of Admiral of the North and of the West were again distinct, though often held by the same man, until "Admirals of England" were appointed continuously from 1406.[3] The titles "High Admiral" and "Lord Admiral" were both used, eventually combining in "Lord High Admiral". The Lord High Admiral did not originally have command at sea, but had jurisdiction over maritime affairs and the authority to establishcourts of Admiralty.[4]
During the reign ofHenry VIII (1509–47) theEnglish Navy had expanded to a point where it could not be managed by a single Lord High Admiral alone, therefore day-to-day management of the navy was handed over to a committee that later became known as theNavy Board. The navy board hadSamuel Pepys as one of its members during the reign ofCharles II (1660–85), and it ran side-by-side with theBoard of Admiralty.[4]
From the early 17th century onwards, when an individual Lord High Admiral was appointed, there was also aCouncil of the Lord High Admiral which assisted him to perform some of the duties of theAdmiralty. When this office was not occupied by an individual, it was "put into commission" and exercised by aBoard of Admiralty headed by aFirst Lord of the Admiralty; this was the usual arrangement from 1709 until it was merged with theAdmiralty in 1832.[4]
However, the office of Lord High Admiral, which—except for brief periods during its long history—had remained extant, was not abolished as an official naval post until 1964.[4] In 1964, the office ofFirst Lord of the Admiralty was also abolished and the functions of theLords Commissioners of Admiralty were transferred to the newAdmiralty Board becoming a sub-committee (Navy) of the tri-serviceDefence Council of the United Kingdom. The ancient title of Lord High Admiral was resumed, by thesovereign personally.[4]
Elizabeth II held the title for the next 47 years, until in 2011 she conferred the office upon her husband,Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, to celebrate his 90th birthday.[5] Philip had served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, but he gave up a promising naval career to support Elizabeth as her consort.[6]
Upon Prince Philip's death in 2021, the identity of the holder of the office became obscure, i.e., there has been no official announcement about the office's holder since then. It is unknown whether the office of Lord High Admiral reverted to the Crown, or if it is currently vacant, in which case it remains as such until His Majesty either assumes it, or grants it upon someone else. TheMinistry of Defence had confirmed they did not hold information on the issue, but suggested it had been resumed by Queen Elizabeth II in right of the Crown.[7] Upon Queen Elizabeth II's death in 2022, the office was reported to have been passed to KingCharles III.[8] The office is understood to be held by the monarch (currently King Charles III) by default and can be granted to whoever is chosen by the monarch.[2]
| High Admiral | Term of office | |
|---|---|---|
| Richard FitzAlan, 4th Earl of Arundel[3] | 1385 | 1388 |
| Edward, Earl of Rutland[9] | 1390 | 1397 |
| John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset[10] | 1397 | 1398 |
| Thomas Percy, 1st Earl of Worcester[11] | 1398 | 1400 |
| Thomas of Lancaster, Duke of Clarence[12] | 1404 | 1405 |
| John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset[3] | 1406 | 1407 |
| Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent[3] | 1407 | 1408 |
| Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter[3] | 1408 | 1426 |
| John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford[3] | 1426 | 1435 |
| John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter[3] | 1435 | 1447 |
| William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk[3] | 1447 | 1450 |
| Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter[3] | 1450 | 1460 |
| Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick[3] | 1461 | 1462 |
| William Neville, 1st Earl of Kent[3] | 1462 | 1462 |
| Richard, Duke of Gloucester[3] | 1462 | 1470 |
| Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick[3] | 1470 | 1471 |
| Richard, Duke of Gloucester[3] | 1471 | 1483 |
| John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk[3] | 1483 | 1485 |
| John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford[3] | 1485 | 1512 |
| Lord Admiral | Term of office | |
|---|---|---|
| Sir Edward Howard[3] | 1512 | 1513 |
| Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey[3] | 1513 | 1525 |
| Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset[3] | 1525 | 1536 |
| William Fitzwilliam, 1st Earl of Southampton[3] | 1536 | 1540 |
| John Russell, Lord Russell[3] | 1540 | 1542 |
| John Dudley, Viscount Lisle[3] | 1542 | 1546 |
| Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley[3] | 1546 | 1549 |
| John Dudley Earl of Warwick[3] | 1549 | 1550 |
| Edward Clinton, Lord Clinton[3] | 1550 | 1554 |
| William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham[3] | 1554 | 1558 |
| Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln[3] | 1558 | 1585 |
| Charles Howard, 2nd Baron Howard of Effingham Earl of Nottingham from 1597[3] | 1585 | 1619 |
| George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham[3] | 1619 | 1628 |
| Lord High Admiral | Term of office | Monarch (Reign) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland | 1638 | 1642 | |
 | Francis Cottington, 1st Baron Cottington | 1643 | 1646 | |
 | Prince James, Duke of York and Albany[13] | 6 June 1660 | 14 June 1673 | Charles II r. 1660–1685 |
 | King Charles II[13] | 14 June 1673 | 9 July 1673 | |
.jpg) | Prince Rupert, Duke of Cumberland[13] | 9 July 1673 | 14 May 1679 | |
| Office in commission | 14 May 1679 | 19 May 1684 | ||
| King Charles II[13] | 19 May 1684 | 6 February 1685 | |
| King James II[13] | 6 February 1685 | 23 December 1688 | James II r. 1685–1688 |
.jpg) | King William III[13] | 13 February 1689 | 8 March 1689 | Mary II r. 1689–1694 & William III r. 1689–1702 |
| Office in commission | 8 March 1689 | 26 January 1702 | ||
 | Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke[13] | 26 January 1702 | 8 March 1702 | |
| 8 March 1702 | 20 May 1702 | Anne r. 1702–1714 | ||
 | Prince George, Duke of Cumberland | 20 May 1702 | 1 May 1707 | |
Before 1707 there was an office ofLord High Admiral of Scotland. Following theAct of Union 1707, all jurisdictions were placed under the office of Lord High Admiral of Great Britain.
| Lord High Admiral | Term of office | Monarch (Reign) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince George, Duke of Cumberland | 1 May 1707 | 23 October 1708 | Anne r. 1702–1714 |
 | Queen Anne[13] | 23 October 1708 | 27 November 1708 | |
| Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke[13] | 27 November 1708 | 8 November 1709 | |
| Office in commission | 8 November 1709 | 1 August 1714 | ||
| 1 August 1714 | 11 June 1727 | George I r. 1714–1727 | ||
| 11 June 1727 | 25 October 1760 | George II r. 1727–1760 | ||
| 25 October 1760 | 31 December 1800 | George III (1760–1820) | ||
| Lord High Admiral | Term of office | Monarch (Reign) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office in commission | 1 January 1801 | 29 January 1820 | George III (1760–1820) [nb 1] | |
| 29 January 1820 | 10 May 1827 | George IV r. 1820–1830 | ||
 | Prince William, Duke of Clarence and St Andrews[14] | 10 May 1827 | 19 September 1828 | |
| Office in commission[15] | 19 September 1828 | 26 June 1830 | ||
| 26 June 1830 | 20 June 1837 | William IV r. 1830–1837 | ||
| 20 June 1837 | 22 January 1901 | Victoria r. 1837–1901 | ||
| 22 January 1901 | 6 May 1910 | Edward VII r. 1901–1910 | ||
| 6 May 1910 | 20 January 1936 | George V r. 1910–1936 | ||
| 20 January 1936 | 11 December 1936 | Edward VIII r. 1936 | ||
| 11 December 1936 | 6 February 1952 | George VI r. 1936–1952 | ||
| 6 February 1952 | 1 April 1964 | Elizabeth II r. 1952–2022 | ||
_(cropped)_(3-to-4_aspect_ratio).jpg) | Queen Elizabeth II[16] | 1 April 1964 | 10 June 2011 | |
 | Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh[17] | 10 June 2011 | 9 April 2021 | |
| Queen Elizabeth II | 9 April 2021[7] | 8 September 2022 | |
| King Charles III | 8 September 2022[8][2] | present | Charles III (2022–present) |
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
The earliest known instructions given to the Lord Admiral to fly command flags were given by King Henry VIII in 1545. The Lord Admiral was ordered to fly the flag of the arms of the King on the top of the main masthead, with the flag of the cross of Saint George on the top of the front (fore) masthead.[18]
Upon H.M the Queen's death, the title of Lord High Admiral, previously held by The Duke of Edinburgh (a gift for his 90th Birthday) and subsequently Her Majesty, has reverted back to the crown. Whilst the King may choose to grant the position to someone else, it is a position that he holds by default, as without a Lord High Admiral there can be no navy. As sovereign King Charles III now also holds the position of Admiral of the Fleet as his mother did before him.
A search for the requested information has now been completed within the Ministry of Defence (MOD), and I can confirm that no information in scope of your request is held. [...] you may find it helpful to note that Her Majesty The Queen bestowed the appointment of Lord High Admiral on His Royal Highness (HRH) The Duke of Edinburgh, via Letters Patent, on his 90th Birthday (10 Jun 2011). As the title of Lord High Admiral is not hereditary and was resumed by the sovereign personally in 1964, upon the Death of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh it will have been subsumed back into the Crown. As this title is personally held by Her Majesty, it is within her gift to decide if it remains with the Crown or if it will be awarded to another individual.
The Queen held the title of Lord High Admiral, which has now been passed to the King.
Sir Nicholas Tamworth, Admiral of the North.
Sir Nicholas Tamworth, Admiral of the North.
Sir Nicholas Tamworth, Admiral of the North.
Sir Nicholas Tamworth, Admiral of the North.
The QUEEN this day was graciously pleased to assume the title of Lord High Admiral [...]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)| Leadership |
| ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Components |
| ||||||||
| History and future |
| ||||||||
| Operating forces |
| ||||||||
| Fleet | |||||||||
| Ships |
| ||||||||
| Administration | |||||||||
| Senior officers |
| ||||||||
| Personnel and training | |||||||||
| Equipment | |||||||||
| Former leadership | |||||||||
| Direction and control Naval affairs |
|
|---|---|
| Under the offices of Direction and control | |
| Direction of Military Units | |
| Military units | |
| Admiralty Departments Under Lord High Admiral/Board of Admiralty | |
| Civil Departments Under Council of the Marine & Navy Board |
|
| Autonomous Civil Departments Arms and Ordnance | |
| Direction of Naval Finance | |
| Departments under the Treasurer | |
| Direction of Naval Administration |
|
| Branches and offices under the Secretary to the Admiralty | |
| Legal Services | |
| Legal under Judicial Department |
|
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)