Air commodore-in-chief

Air Commodore-in-Chief is a senior honorary air force appointment which originated in the Royal Air Force and now exists in the air forces of various Commonwealth realms. Appointees are made Air Commodore-in-Chief of a large air force organisation or formation. Initially only the British monarch held air commodore-in-chief appointments. However, since the second half of the 20th century, other members of the royal family have been appointed to such positions in the United Kingdom and the other realms such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand. As of 2020, these appointments have been given to just six senior members of the royal family, of whom four were reigning or future monarchs of the Commonwealth realms.

Air commodore-in-chief appointments do not confer a rank, be it air commodore or otherwise. Air commodore-in-chief appointments are more senior than honorary air commodore appointments. The equivalent naval title of Commodore-in-Chief was introduced in 2006.

Air commodores-in-chief

Prince Edward, Prince of Wales

Prince Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII and then Duke of Windsor), held the following appointments:

United Kingdom
  • 1932 –1936 : Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Auxiliary Air Force[1]

King George VI

King George VI held the following appointments:

United Kingdom
  • 1936  – 1952: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Auxiliary Air Force (The Royal Auxiliary Air Force from 1947)[2][3]
  • 1941  – 1952: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Air Training Corps[3][4]
  • 1947  – 1952: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force Regiment[5]
  • 1950  – 1952: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Observer Corps[6]

Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II held or holds the following appointments:

Australia
  • 1954  – : Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Australian Citizen Air Force[7]
Canada
  • 1953  – 1968: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Air Force Auxiliary[8]
New Zealand
  • 1953  –: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Territorial Air Force of New Zealand
United Kingdom

Prince Philip
Further information: List of titles and honours of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, holds the following appointments:

/ Canada
United Kingdom

Prince Charles
Further information: List of titles and honours of Charles, Prince of Wales

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, holds the following appointments:

Canada
  • 1977 –: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Air Reserve Group of Air Command (since 2011 the Royal Canadian Air Force Air Reserve)
New Zealand

The Duchess of Cambridge

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, holds the following appointments:

United Kingdom
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References
  1. "No. 33831". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 May 1932. p. 3582.
  2. The Air Force List, September 1943
  3. http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1950/1950%20-%201255.html
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 21 August 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "No. 38077". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 September 1947. p. 4469.
  6. "No. 40140". The London Gazette. 11 April 1950. p. 2051.
  7. "No. 40140". The London Gazette. 6 April 1954. p. 2051.
  8. "No. 39864". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 May 1953. p. 2995.
  9. "No. 39863". The London Gazette. 26 May 1953. p. 2940.
  10. "No. 47237". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 June 1977. p. 7127.
  11. "The Duke of Edinburgh Hands Air Cadet Patronage to The Duchess of Cambridge, 16 December 2015". Royal Air Force. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  12. Tominey, Camilla (14 February 2016). "Truth behind Prince George's love of aviation". Daily Express. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
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