The Prince of Wales has been honoured by the Royal Navy with a new title to celebrate the commissioning of his namesake ship – henceforth the Duke of Cornwall will be the Honorary Commodore-in-Chief, Aircraft Carriers, a title bestowed on him by the First Sea Lord Admiral Tony Radakin, with the blessing of Her Majesty the Queen…
This honorary title highlights the continued relationship between the Royal Navy and the Monarchy and gratefully acknowledges the service of many members of the Royal Family. The Prince of Wales is himself a Naval Officer, following his father, grandfather and great-uncle in the Senior Service.
His Royal Highness served in the guided missile destroyer HMS Norfolk from 1971 to 1972, then in the frigates HMS Minerva (1972 to 1973) and HMS Jupiter (1974), before commanding the minesweeper HMS Bronington in 1976, for the final ten months of his active service in the Royal Navy.
During his naval career, the Prince also qualified as a naval aviator, flying Wessex helicopters with 845 Naval Air Squadron in the commando carrier HMS Hermes. Among the Prince of Wales’s close links with the Senior Service, he was appointed Commodore-in-Chief, Plymouth, in 2005, taking a close interest in all Royal Navy vessels and establishments in Devon’s port city.
Fourteen years later, he has been granted this honorary new title – announced on the day upon which the Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall, Lady Sponsor, attended the commissioning ceremony for HMS Prince of Wales in her new home of Her Majesty’s Naval Base, Portsmouth.