Lord High 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).
==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===
High Admiral 	Term of office	Term of office
Richard FitzAlan, 4th Earl of Arundel 	1385 	1388
Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York 	1390 	1397
John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset 	1397 	1398
Thomas Percy, 1st Earl of Worcester 	1398 	1400
Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence	1404 	1405
John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset 	1406 	1407
Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent 	1407 	1408
Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter 	1408 	1426
John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford 	1426 	1435
John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter 	1435 	1447
William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk 	1447 	1450
Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter 	1450 	1460
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick 	1461 	1462
William Neville, 1st Earl of Kent 	1462 	1462
Richard, Duke of Gloucester 	1462 	1470
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick 	1470 	1471
Richard, Duke of Gloucester 	1471 	1483
John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk 	1483 	1485
John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford 	1485 	1512
===England, 1512–1638===
Lord Admiral 	Term of office	Term of office
Sir Edward Howard 	1512 	1513
Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey 	1513 	1525
Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset 	1525 	1536
William Fitzwilliam, 1st Earl of Southampton 	1536 	1540
John Russell, Lord Russell 	1540 	1542
John Dudley, Viscount Lisle 	1542 	1546
Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley 	1546 	1549
John Dudley Earl of Warwick 	1549 	1550
Edward Clinton, Lord Clinton 	1550 	1554
William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham 	1554 	1558
Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln 	1558 	1585
Charles Howard, 1st Earl of NottinghamEarl of Nottingham	1585 	1619
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham 	1619 	1628
==List of lords high admirals==
===England, 1638–1707===
Lord High Admiral	Lord High Admiral 	Term of office 	Term of office
 	Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland 	1638 	1642
 	Francis Cottington, 1st Baron Cottington 	1643 	1646
 	James, Duke of YorkNational 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)	June 1660 	July 1673
 	King Charles II 	1673 	1673
 	Prince Rupert, Duke of Cumberland 	1673 	1679
 	In commission:William Brouncker, 2nd Viscount BrounckerSir Thomas Lyttleton 	1679 	1684
 	King Charles II 	May 1684 	6 February 1685
 	King James II 	6 February 1685	11 December 1688
 	King William III 	1689 	1689
 	Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington 	1689 	1689
 	Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke 	26 January 1702	20 May 1702
 	Prince George of Denmark, Duke of Cumberland 	20 May 1702 	28 October 1708
===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	Lord High Admiral 	Term of office 	Term of office
 	Prince George of Denmark, Duke of Cumberland	28 June 1707 	28 October 1708
 	Queen Anne 	1708 	1708
 	Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke 	1708 	8 November 1709
 	Office in commission 	8 November 1709	1800
===United Kingdom, 1801–present===
Lord High Admiral	Lord High Admiral 	From	To
 	Office in commission 	1801	1827
75px 	Prince William, Duke of Clarence 	1827	1828
 	Office in commission 	1828	1964
 	Queen Elizabeth II 	1964	2011
 	Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh"https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11437314"	2011	2021
 	Queen Elizabeth II 	2021	2022
 	King Charles III 	2022	present
==Former command flags==
===Tudor period===
File:Royal Standard of England (1554–1558).svg|First command Flag of the Lord Admiral of England (1554–1558) under Mary I and Philip II when on board a ship.
File:Royal Standard of England (1406-1603).svg|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.
File:Royal Standard of England (1603-1649).svg|First command Flag of the Lord Admiral of England (1603–1625) under James VI and I when on board a ship.
File:Flag of England.svg|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==
==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.
 
Category:Royal Navy
Category:Royal Navy appointments
Lord High Admiral
Lord High Admiral