air commodore-in-chief
{{Short description|Honorary rank in some Commonwealth realms}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2017}}
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:
;{{flagicon|UK}} United Kingdom
- {{flagicon|UK|air force}} 1932 –1936 : Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Auxiliary Air Force{{London Gazette| issue=33831 | date=31 May 1932|page=3582| |supp=y}}
=King George VI=
{{see|List of titles and honours of King George VI}}
King George VI held the following appointments:
;{{flagicon|UK}} United Kingdom
- {{flagicon|UK|air force}} 1936 – 1952: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Auxiliary Air Force (The Royal Auxiliary Air Force from 1947)[https://archive.org/details/airforcelistsep1943grea The Air Force List, September 1943]
- File:Ensign of the Air Training Corps.svg 1941 – 1952: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Air Training Corps{{cite web |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1950/1950%20-%201255.html |title=air commodore-in-chief {{!}} air force {{!}} king {{!}} 1950 {{!}} 1255 {{!}} Flight Archive |website=www.flightglobal.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012211806/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1950/1950%20-%201255.html |archive-date=2012-10-12}} {{Cite web |url=http://www.aircadets.org/acohist.html |title=The Air Cadet Organisation Web Site |access-date=11 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821183334/http://www.aircadets.org/acohist.html |archive-date=21 August 2009 |url-status=dead }}
- {{flagicon|UK|air force}} 1947 – 1952: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force Regiment{{London Gazette| issue=38077 | date=19 September 1947|page=4469 |supp=y }}
- File:Ensign of the Royal Observer Corps (1952-1995).png 1950 – 1952: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Observer Corps{{London Gazette| issue=40140| date=11 April 1950|page=2051}}
=Queen Elizabeth II=
{{see|List of titles and honours of Queen Elizabeth II}}
Queen Elizabeth II held the following appointments:
;{{flagicon|AUS}} Australia
- {{flagicon|AUS|air force}} 1954 – 2022 : Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Australian Citizen Air Force{{London Gazette| issue=40140| date=6 April 1954|page=2051}}
;{{flagicon|CAN|1921}} Canada
- {{flagicon|CAN|air force-1924}} 1953 – 1968: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Air Force Auxiliary{{London Gazette| issue=39864| date=26 May 1953|page=2995|supp=y}}
;{{flagicon|NZ}} New Zealand
- {{flagicon|NZ|air force}} 1953 – 2022: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Territorial Air Force of New Zealand{{cite web | url=https://www.contactairlandandsea.com/2022/09/09/new-zealand-defence-force-marks-passing-of-queen-elizabeth-ii/ | title=New Zealand Defence Force marks passing of Queen Elizabeth II | date=9 September 2022 }}
;{{flagicon|UK}} United Kingdom
- {{flagicon|UK|air force}} 1953 – 2022: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force{{London Gazette|issue=39863|date=26 May 1953|page=2940|supp=y}}
- {{flagicon|UK|air force}} 1953 – 2022: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force Regiment
- File:Ensign of the Royal Observer Corps (1952-1995).png 1953 – 1996: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Observer Corps
=Prince Philip=
{{see|List of titles and honours of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh}}
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, held the following appointments:
;{{flagicon|CAN|1921}} / {{flagicon|CAN}} Canada
- {{flagicon|CAN|air force-1924}} / {{flagicon|CAN|air force}} 1953 – 2021: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets
;{{flagicon|UK}} United Kingdom
- File:Ensign of the Air Training Corps.svg 1953 – 2015: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Air Training Corps
=King Charles III=
{{see|List of titles and honours of Charles III}}
King Charles III, held the following appointments:
;{{flagicon|NZ}} New Zealand
- {{flagicon|NZ|air force}} 1977 –2015: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal New Zealand Air Force{{London Gazette| issue=47237 | date=10 June 1977 |page=7127 |supp=y }}{{cite web|title=Honorary Appointments to the New Zealand Defence Force|work=New Zealand Gazette|date=6 August 2015|url=https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2015-vr4665}}
;{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} United Kingdom
- {{flagicon|United Kingdom|Royal Air Force}} 2022 –present: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force{{cite web |title=KING CHARLES III BECOMES AIR COMMODORE-IN-CHIEF OF THE RAF |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/our-history/king-charles-iii-becomes-air-commodore-in-chief-of-the-raf/ |website=raf.mod.uk |access-date=24 February 2023}}