Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom
Titular head of the Royal Navy
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Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom (of England beginning in the 14th century, later of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800)[1] is the title of the ceremonial head of the Royal Navy. Most have been courtiers or members of the British royal family, and not professional naval officers. The Lord High Admiral is one of the nine English Great Officers of State and since 2021 is held personally by the reigning monarch (currently King Charles III, who is also Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces).[2]
- Lord High Admiral of England
- Lord High Admiral of Scotland
- 1800 (United Kingdom)
- 1707 (Great Britain)
- 1385 (England)
| Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom | |
|---|---|
Flag of the Lord High Admiral | |
| Type | Great Officer of State |
| Appointer | The Monarch |
| Precursor |
|
| Formation |
|
| First holder | The 4th Earl of Arundel (as High Admiral of England, Ireland and Aquitaine) |
| Deputy | Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom |
History
In 1385 Richard Fitzalan, 4th Earl of Arundel, was appointed Admiral of England, reuniting the offices of Admiral of the North and Admiral 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 establish courts of Admiralty.[4]
During the reign of Henry VIII (1509–47) the English 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 the Navy Board. The navy board had Samuel Pepys as one of its members during the reign of Charles II (1660–85), and it ran side-by-side with the Board of Admiralty.[4]
From the early 17th century onwards, when an individual Lord High Admiral was appointed, there was also a Council of the Lord High Admiral which assisted him to perform some of the duties of the Admiralty. When this office was not occupied by an individual, it was "put into commission" and exercised by a Board of Admiralty headed by a First Lord of the Admiralty; this was the usual arrangement from 1709 until it was merged with the Admiralty 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 of First Lord of the Admiralty was also abolished and the functions of the Lords Commissioners of Admiralty were transferred to the new Admiralty Board becoming a sub-committee (Navy) of the tri-service Defence Council of the United Kingdom. The ancient title, however, of Lord High Admiral was resumed—by the sovereign 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]
Current status
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 bestows it upon someone else. The Ministry of Defence 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 King Charles 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]
List of high admirals
England and Ireland, 1385–1512
| 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 |
England, 1512–1638
| Lord Admiral | Term of office | |
|---|---|---|
| Sir Edward Howard[3] | 1512 | 1513 |
| Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey[3] | 1513 | 1525 |
| Henry FitzRoy, 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 |
List of lords high admirals
England, 1638–1707
| 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 | |
Great Britain, 1707–1800
Before 1707 there was an office of Lord High Admiral of Scotland. Following the Act 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) | ||
United Kingdom, 1801–present
| 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 | |
_1.33_crop.jpg) |
King Charles III | 8 September 2022[8][2] |
present | Charles III (2022–present) |
Former command flags
Tudor period
First command Flag of the Lord Admiral of England (1554–1558) under Mary I and Philip II when on board a ship.
First command Flag of the Lord Admiral of England under Henry VIII, Edward VI and Elizabeth I (1545–1553, 1559–1603) when on board a ship.
First command Flag of the Lord Admiral of England (1603–1625) under James VI and I when on board a ship.
Second command Flag of the Lord Admiral of England (1545–1625) when on board a ship.
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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]