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Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom
Flag of the Lord High Admiral
Incumbent King Charles III since 2022
Type	Great Officer of State
Appointer	The Monarch
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure
Precursor	Lord High Admiral of England Lord High Admiral of Scotland
Formation	1800 (United Kingdom) 1707 (Great Britain) 1385 (England)
First holder	The 3rd Earl of Arundel as High Admiral of England, Ireland and Aquitaine
Deputy	Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom

The Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom (of England beginning in the 14th century, later of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800) is 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).

History

In 1385 Richard, 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. 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.

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.

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.

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. 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 of Lord High Admiral was resumed, by the sovereign personally.

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. 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.

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 back 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. The Ministry 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. Upon Queen Elizabeth II's death in 2022, the office was reported to have been passed to King Charles III. The office is understood to be held by the Monarch (currently King Charles III) by default and can be granted to whomever is chosen by the Monarch.

List of high admirals

England and Ireland, 1385–1512

England, 1512–1638

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	6 June 1660	14 June 1673	Charles II r. 1660–1685
	King Charles II	14 June 1673	9 July 1673
	Prince Rupert, Duke of Cumberland	9 July 1673	14 May 1679
	Office in commission	14 May 1679	19 May 1684
	King Charles II	19 May 1684	6 February 1685
	King James II	6 February 1685	23 December 1688	James II r. 1685–1688
	King William III	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	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	23 October 1708	27 November 1708
	Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke	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)
		29 January 1820	10 May 1827	George IV r. 1820–1830
	Prince William, Duke of Clarence and St Andrews	10 May 1827	19 September 1828
	Office in commission	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
	Queen Elizabeth II	1 April 1964	10 June 2011
	Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh	10 June 2011	9 April 2021
	Queen Elizabeth II	9 April 2021	8 September 2022
	King Charles III	8 September 2022	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.

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.

See also

• Lord High Admiral of Scotland
• Lord High Admiral of the Wash
• Lord High Admiral of Sweden
• First Lord of the Admiralty

References

1. "Lord High Admiral's Divisions takes place at BRNC | Royal Navy". www.royalnavy.mod.uk. Ministry of Defence, 2 May 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
2. ^ "A celebration of the King's Naval links in the West Country". Greatest Hits Radio. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023. 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.
3. ^ Houbraken, Jacobus; Thoyras, Paul de Rapin; Vertue, George (1747). The History of England, A List of Admirals of England, 1228-1745. J. and P. Knapton. p. 271.
4. ^ Kemp, Dear; Kemp, Peter, eds. (2007). "Lord High Admiral". The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea (2 ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780191727504.
5. "The Duke of Edinburgh Appointed Lord High Admiral". royal.gov.uk. 10 June 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
6. "Prince Philip receives Navy title for 90th birthday". BBC News. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
7. ^ "Lord High Admiral (Freedom of Information)" (PDF). WhatDoTheyKnow. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021. 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.
8. ^ "Queen Elizabeth II: The naval college where the monarch met the duke". BBC. 17 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022. The Queen held the title of Lord High Admiral, which has now been passed to the King.
9. Schomberg, Isaac (1802). Naval Chronology: Or, An Historical Summary of Naval & Maritime Events, from the Time of the Romans, to the Treaty of Peace, 1802. T. Egerton. p. 188. Sir Nicholas Tamworth, Admiral of the North.
10. Schomberg, Isaac (1802). Naval Chronology: Or, An Historical Summary of Naval & Maritime Events, from the Time of the Romans, to the Treaty of Peace, 1802. T. Egerton. p. 188. Sir Nicholas Tamworth, Admiral of the North.
11. Schomberg, Isaac (1802). Naval Chronology: Or, An Historical Summary of Naval & Maritime Events, from the Time of the Romans, to the Treaty of Peace, 1802. T. Egerton. p. 188. Sir Nicholas Tamworth, Admiral of the North.
12. Schomberg, Isaac (1802). Naval Chronology: Or, An Historical Summary of Naval & Maritime Events, from the Time of the Romans, to the Treaty of Peace, 1802. T. Egerton. p. 188. Sir Nicholas Tamworth, Admiral of the North.
13. ^ National Archives, Kew, ref. ADM 4/410 List of the Lords High Admiral and Commissioners for executing that Office, which have been appointed since the year 1660 (1915)
14. "No. 18360". The London Gazette. 11 May 1827. p. 1033.
15. "No. 18506". The London Gazette. 19 September 1828. p. 1733.
16. "No. 43288". The London Gazette. 3 April 1964. p. 2895. The QUEEN this day was graciously pleased to assume the title of Lord High Admiral
17. "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11437314"
18. Perrin, W. G. (William Gordon) (1922). "Flags of Command". British flags, their early history, and their development at sea; with an account of the origin of the flag as a national device. Cambridge, England: Cambridge : The University Press. p. 77.

1. The Prince of Wales served as prince regent from 5 February 1811.

Sources

• Houbraken, Jacobus. Thoyras, Paul de Rapin. Vertue, George. (1747). The History of England, A List of Admirals of England (1224-1745). England. Kanpton. P and J.
• Reference

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