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

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Prince Edward, Prince of Wales

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

  United Kingdom

King George VI

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King George VI held the following appointments:

  United Kingdom

Queen Elizabeth II

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Queen Elizabeth II held the following appointments:

  Australia
  Canada
  New Zealand
  United Kingdom

Prince Philip

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

  /   Canada
  United Kingdom

King Charles III

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King Charles III, held the following appointments:

  New Zealand
  United Kingdom

References

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  1. ^ "No. 33831". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 May 1932. p. 3582.
  2. ^ The Air Force List, September 1943
  3. ^ a b "air commodore-in-chief | air force | king | 1950 | 1255 | Flight Archive". www.flightglobal.com. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012.
  4. ^ "The Air Cadet Organisation Web Site". Archived from the original on 21 August 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
  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. ^ a b "No. 39864". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 May 1953. p. 2995.
  9. ^ "New Zealand Defence Force marks passing of Queen Elizabeth II". 9 September 2022.
  10. ^ a b c "No. 39863". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 May 1953. p. 2940.
  11. ^ "No. 47237". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 June 1977. p. 7127.
  12. ^ "Honorary Appointments to the New Zealand Defence Force". New Zealand Gazette. 6 August 2015.
  13. ^ "KING CHARLES III BECOMES AIR COMMODORE-IN-CHIEF OF THE RAF". raf.mod.uk. Retrieved 24 February 2023.