Commodore-in-Chief is an honorary Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 appointment bestowed by the Queen on various members of the Royal Family on 8 August 2006.

Previously there have been honorary Royal Colonel

Royal Colonel

Royal Colonel is an appointment made by the British Monarch, currently Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, to members of the British Royal Family who are appointed to the position of Colonel-in-Chief of a Regiment within the British or Commonwealth army. Royal Colonel appointments are made for...

s in the British Army

British Army

The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

 and honorary Air Commodores in the Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

, but no parallel affiliations with the Royal Navy.

Admiral Sir Jonathon Band

Jonathon Band

Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, GCB, DL, ADC , from 2006 to 2009, was the First Sea Lord of the United Kingdom, the most senior serving officer in the Royal Navy. Before serving as First Sea Lord he was Commander-in-Chief Fleet...

, First Sea Lord

First Sea Lord

The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...

, said on news of the appointments:

"I am delighted at the news of these 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."

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

Commodore (Royal Navy)

Commodore is a rank of the Royal Navy above Captain and below Rear Admiral. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6. The rank is equivalent to Brigadier in the British Army and Royal Marines and to Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force.-Insignia:...

 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.

Commodores-in-Chief

Holder	Naval rank (if any)	Appointment	Dates
HRH The Prince of Wales Charles, Prince of Wales Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...	Admiral	Commodore-in-Chief, Plymouth HMNB Devonport Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England...	2006
HRH The Duke of Cambridge	Lieutenant Lieutenant A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...	Commodore-in-Chief, Scotland HMNB Clyde Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy... Commodore-in-Chief, Submarines Royal Navy Submarine Service The Royal Navy Submarine Service is the submarine element of the Royal Navy. It is sometimes known as the "Silent Service", on account of a submarine being required to operate quietly in order to remain undetected by enemy sonar...	2006
HRH Prince Harry of Wales Prince Harry of Wales Prince Henry of Wales , commonly known as Prince Harry, is the younger son of Charles, Prince of Wales and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and fourth grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...	–	Commodore-in-Chief, Small Ships and Diving	2006
HRH The Duchess of Cornwall
Commodore-in-Chief, Naval Medical Services	2006
HRH The Duke of York Prince Andrew, Duke of York Prince Andrew, Duke of York KG GCVO , is the second son, and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...	Hon. Rear-Admiral Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...	Commodore-in-Chief, Fleet Air Arm Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...	2006
HRH The Earl of Wessex Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex KG GCVO is the third son and fourth child of Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh...
Commodore-in-Chief, Royal Fleet Auxiliary Royal Fleet Auxiliary The Royal Fleet Auxiliary is a civilian-manned fleet owned by the British Ministry of Defence. The RFA enables ships of the United Kingdom Royal Navy to maintain operations around the world. Its primary role is to supply the Royal Navy with fuel, ammunition and supplies, normally by replenishment...	2006
HRH The Princess Royal Anne, Princess Royal Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...	Vice-Admiral Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...	Commodore-in-Chief, Portsmouth HMNB Portsmouth Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the British Royal Navy...	2006
HRH Prince Michael of Kent Prince Michael of Kent Prince Michael of Kent is a grandson of King George V and Queen Mary, making him a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. He is also the first cousin once removed of Prince Phillip. Prince Michael occasionally carries out royal duties representing the Queen at some functions in Commonwealth realms outside...	Hon. Rear-Admiral Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...  (MR)	Commodore-in-Chief, Maritime Reserves Royal Naval Reserve The Royal Naval Reserve is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. The present Royal Naval Reserve was formed in 1958 by merging the original Royal Naval Reserve and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve , a reserve of civilian volunteers founded in 1903...	2006

See also

• Air Commodore-in-Chief
  Air Commodore-in-Chief
  Air Commodore-in-Chief is a type of honorary air force appointment which originated in the Royal Air Force and now exists in the air forces of various Commonwealth realms. Initially only the British monarch held air commodore-in-chief appointments...
  
  , the Royal Air Force appointment which pre-dates Commodore-in-Chief