Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom

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.{{Cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110810105310974|encyclopedia=The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea (2 ed.)|title=Lord High Admiral|editor-last1=Kemp|editor-first1=Dear|editor-last2=Kemp|editor-first2=Peter|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2007|isbn=9780191727504}}

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.{{cite web|title=The Duke of Edinburgh Appointed Lord High Admiral|url=https://www.royal.uk/duke-edinburgh-appointed-lord-high-admiral|website=royal.gov.uk|date=10 June 2011 |access-date=4 May 2017}} 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.{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-15860155 |title=Prince Philip receives Navy title for 90th birthday |publisher=BBC News |access-date=4 April 2017}}

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.{{Cite web|date=2021-06-15|title=Lord High Admiral (Freedom of Information)|url=https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/765408/response/1844042/attach/2/FOI2021%2006359.pdf|access-date=2021-08-05|website=WhatDoTheyKnow|language=en|quote=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.}} Upon Queen Elizabeth II's death in 2022, the office was reported to have been passed to King Charles III.{{Cite web|date=2022-09-17|title=Queen Elizabeth II: The naval college where the monarch met the duke|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-62939440|access-date=2022-09-24|website=BBC|language=en|quote=The Queen held the title of Lord High Admiral, which has now been passed to the King.}} 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.

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.

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.{{cite book |last1=Perrin |first1=W. G. (William Gordon) |title=British flags, their early history, and their development at sea; with an account of the origin of the flag as a national device |date=1922 |publisher=Cambridge : The University Press |location=Cambridge, England |page=77 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/britishflagsthei00perrrich#page/n111 |chapter=Flags of Command}}

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

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• 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.
• [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=62nAgr-I-qwC&pg=PA12&dq=Lord+High+Admirals+1827+duke+of+clarence&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj_3aiW-ZqKAxU3Z0EAHcXzAOs4ChDoAXoECAkQAw#v=onepage&q=Lord%20High%20Admirals%201827%20duke%20of%20clarence&f=false Reference]

{{Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom}}

{{Naval Service (British)|state=collapsed}}

{{Admiralty and Marine Affairs Office}}

Category:Royal Navy appointments

Lord High Admiral

Lord High Admiral