Military service by British royalty

Many members of the British royal family have seen service in the British Armed Forces or other Commonwealth militaries, and others hold honorary ranks or positions. This is a list detailing formal military service by members of the British royal family.

There is also a list of military titles, service appointments, and various job titles within the royal family, which is listed below. These roles are honorary and may, or may not, also be held by Royals who are ex-military or serving military persons.

For example, Princess Anne, whilst not having any military service, holds many ranks and roles within the British Armed Forces.

List

The honorary ranks and titles are included in a separate column. The "rank whilst active" column dictates the rank worn and held whilst the person was serving with the armed forces and the "current rank worn" column denotes any rank worn currently (including honorary rank and promotions). Members of the royal family receive regular promotions even after their active service has ended.

Key

A number of abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms are used, to save space:

• RN - Royal Navy
• RNR - Royal Navy Reserve
• RNVR - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
• RM - Royal Marines
• RAF - Royal Air Force
• MC - Military Cross

Living members of the royal family

Individuals are sorted by the earliest year of service.

Name of royal	Branch of service	Rank whilst active	Years of service	Current rank worn	Wartime service	Unit	Military training and qualifications	Medals	Appointments and other roles
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent as Colonel of the Scots Guards (2013)	British Army	Lieutenant-Colonel	1955–1976 (Ret'd)[1]	Field Marshal and  Air Chief Marshal	None	Royal Scots Greys	Royal Military Academy Sandhurst RAF pilot's flying badge/brevet (wings)	Principal Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG), Royal Knight of the Order of the Garter (KG), King George VI Coronation Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal, United Nations Medal for the UNFICYP mission, Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, Sierra Leone Independence Medal, Guyana Independence Medal and Canadian Forces' Decoration (with two clasps) (CD)	Personal Aide-de-Camp to The Queen, Colonel of the Scots Guards, Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, Royal Colonel of 1st Battalion The Rifles, Colonel-in-Chief of the Lorne Scots Regiment, Canada, Deputy Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, Honorary Air Chief Marshal and Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Leuchars.
Prince Michael of Kent as a Honorary Vice-Admiral, Royal Naval Reserve	British Army	Major (Ret'd)	1963–1981	Vice-Admiral,  Colonel,  Air Marshal	None	11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own)[2]	Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Prince Michael is a qualified military pilot[3] and wears the respective service's pilot badge with their uniform, i.e. when he is in RN uniform, he wears the Fleet Air Arm badge, likewise with Army - Army Air Corps wings and RAF - RAF wings	Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, Canadian Forces' Decoration, United Nations Medal for UNFICYP, Order of Friendship (Russia), Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Francis I and Order of the Sun (Peru)	Honorary Vice Admiral, Royal Naval Reserve, Colonel-in-Chief of The Essex and Kent Scottish (Canadian Forces), Senior Colonel of the King's Royal Hussars, Royal Honorary Colonel of the Honourable Artillery Company
Charles III of the United Kingdom as Field marshal of the British Army (2024)	RN, British Army and RAF	Commander,  Flight Lieutenant	1971–1976	Admiral of the Fleet,  Field Marshal,  Marshal of the Royal Air Force	None	845 Naval Air Squadron	Royal Naval College, Dartmouth Commando Training Centre Royal Marines Royal Air Force College, Cranwell Parachutist Badge RAF pilot's flying badge/brevet (wings)	(Not all of these are regularly worn).	Field Marshal, Colonel-in-Chief, Colonel, Honorary Air Commodore, Air Commodore-in-Chief, Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, Royal Honorary Colonel, Royal Colonel, and Honorary Commodore of at least 32 military formations throughout the Commonwealth of Nations[4]
Prince Andrew, Duke of York as Colonel-in-Chief of the Yorkshire Regiment	RN and RAF	Commander (Ret'd)[5]	1980–2001	Vice Admiral,  Air Commodore	Falklands War	815 Naval Air Squadron	Royal Naval College, Dartmouth Commando Training Centre Royal Marines Fleet Air Arm pilot's wings Parachutist Badge		(these titles have been returned to HM King) Admiral of the Sea Cadet Corps, Commodore in Chief of the Fleet Air Arm, Honorary Air Commodore Royal Air Force Lossiemouth, Honorary Vice Admiral, Colonel-in-Chief of various units in the Canadian Forces, Colonel-in-Chief and Royal Colonel of various regiments in the British Armed Forces and Colonel of the Grenadier Guards. Personal Aide-de-Camp
Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh as Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary	RM[6]	Acting Lieutenant (withdrew from training)	1986–1987	See appointments	None	N/A	Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (did not finish)		Royal Honorary Colonel, of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry Royal Colonel, of the 2nd Battalion, The Rifles Commodore-in-Chief, of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Honorary Air Commodore Royal Air Force Waddington Colonel-in-Chief, of The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment Colonel-in-Chief, of The Prince Edward Island Regiment Colonel-in-Chief, of the Saskatchewan Dragoons
Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster	British Army	Major	1998–2008	Major (Ret'd)	Kosovo War, Iraq War	King's Royal Hussars	Royal Military College Sandhurst	General Service Medal, NATO Medal, Iraq Medal, Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal, Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal	None
William, Prince of Wales as Colonel of the Welsh Guards (2023)	RN, British Army, RAF	Commander RN,  Lieutenant Colonel,  Wing Commander	2005–2013[7]	Commander,  Lieutenant Colonel,  Wing Commander	None	Blues and Royals, No. 22 Squadron (RAF Search and Rescue Force)[7]	Royal Military Academy Sandhurst RAF Cranwell and shorter training course at Britannia Royal Naval College RAF pilot's flying badge/brevet (wings)		Commodore-in-Chief of HMNB Clyde; Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Navy Submarine Service; Commodore-in-Chief of Scotland; Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Valley; Colonel of the Welsh Guards; Colonel-in-Chief of Army Air Corps; Colonel-in-Chief of The Mercian Regiment
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex as a Captain in Household Cavalry Regiment (Blues and Royals) (2013)	British Army	Captain	2005–2015	Major,[8]  Squadron Leader	Afghanistan	Blues and Royals, Household Cavalry, 1st Mechanised Brigade of the 3rd Mechanised Division, Army Air Corps, 662 Squadron of 3 Regiment	Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Forward Air Controller Army Air Corps Pilot brevet RAF Regiment Shoulder Flash		(these titles have been returned to HM King) Canadian Ranger; Captain General Royal Marines; Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Honington; Commodore-in-Chief of Small Ships and Diving

Deceased members of the royal family

Individuals are sorted by their earliest year of service.

Name of royal	Branch of service	Rank whilst active	Years of service	Last rank worn	Wartime service	Unit	Military training and qualifications	Medals	Appointments and other roles
William IV of the United Kingdom†	RN	Rear-Admiral	1780–1789	N/A	American War of Independence	HMS Andromeda, HMS Pegasus	None	None	General of the British Army/Admiral of the Royal Navy
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven† The Marquess of Milford Haven	RN	Admiral of the Fleet	1868–1914		Anglo-Egyptian War, First World War		HMS Royal Alfred	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George	First Sea Lord
George V of the United Kingdom† as Marshal of the Royal Air Force (1935)	RN	Commander	1877–1891	N/A	None	HMS Bacchante	None	None	Admiral of the Fleet of the Royal Navy, Field Marshal of the British Army and Marshal of the Royal Air Force
George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven† The Marquess of Milford Haven	RN	Captain	1904–1937		First World War		Royal Naval College, Dartmouth	Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Order of St Vladimir, 4th class, with Swords, Knight of the Military Order of Savoy, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
George VI of the United Kingdom† as Admiral of the Fleet during the Second World War	RN, RAF	Lieutenant (RN),   Squadron Leader	1909–1919	(as monarch)  Admiral of the Fleet,  Field Marshal  Marshal of the Royal Air Force	World War I	HMS Collingwood Royal Naval Air Service RAF Cranwell Independent Air Force	Britannia Royal Naval College RAF pilot's flying badge/brevet (wings)	Royal Victorian Chain, 1914 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal with Mention in Despatches, Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Medal, King Edward VII Coronation Medal, King George V Coronation Medal, King George V Silver Jubilee Medal, 1939-45 Star, Italy Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal (United Kingdom), War Medal 1939–1945, Canadian Forces' Decoration	Colonel-in-Chief – Commonwealth armies (Canadian Army, Australian Imperial Force/Australian Army Reserve, New Zealand Expeditionary Force) and Air Commodore-in-Chief of Commonwealth air forces (RCAF, RAAF, RNZAF); Field Marshal of the British Army/Admiral of the Fleet of the Royal Navy/Marshal of the Royal Air Force
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma† as Admiral of the Fleet of the Royal Navy (1976)	RN	Admiral of the Fleet	1913–1965		First World War, Second World War	Supreme Allied Commander South East Asia (SACSEA) 1943-1945	Royal Naval College, Dartmouth	Knight of the Garter, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, Member of the Order of Merit, Knight Grand Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India, Knight Grand Commander of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, Companion of the Distinguished Service Order, British War Medal, See list	Chief of the Defence Staff, First Sea Lord, Supreme Allied Commander  South East Asia Command, Chief of Combined Operations, Colonel of the Life Guards, Colonel Commandant of the Royal Marines
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom† as a Second Lieutenant during the First World War	British Army, RAF	Lieutenant	1914–1918^[citation needed]	N/A	World War I	Grenadier Guards	Osborne Naval College, Royal Naval College at Dartmouth RAF pilot's flying badge/brevet (wings)	Military Cross	Colonel-in-Chief – Commonwealth armies (Canadian Army, Australian Imperial Force/Australian Army Reserve, New Zealand Expeditionary Force) and Air Commodore-in-Chief of Commonwealth air forces (Royal Canadian Air Force, RAAF, RNZAF); Field Marshal of the British Army/Admiral of the Fleet of the Royal Navy/Marshal of the Royal Air Force[9]
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester† as Governor General of Australia (c. 1945)	British Army	Major (last active service rank)	1919-1937 (active service) and 1940-1945 (war service)	Honorary Captain of the RNVR,  Field Marshal and Marshal of the Royal Air Force (after retiring from Army)	World War II, Battle of France	King's Royal Rifle Corps, 10th Royal Hussars, British Expeditionary Force	Royal Military College Sandhurst	None	Colonel in Chief-Gloucestershire Regiment, Colonel in Chief-Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, Colonel-Ceylon Light Infantry, Colonel-Scots Guards, Marshal of the Royal Air Force
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh† as Admiral of the Fleet	RN, British Army and RAF	Commander[10]	1940–1952[10]	Admiral of the Fleet,  Field Marshal,  Marshal of the Royal Air Force	World War II – Allied invasion of Sicily, Battle of Crete, Battle of Cape Matapan	British Pacific Fleet	Royal Naval College, Greenwich, Britannia Royal Naval College RAF pilot's flying badge/brevet (wings)	War Medal 1939-1945 with Oak Leaf, Atlantic Star, Africa Star, Burma Star with Rosette, Italy Star, Greek War Cross, Croix de Guerre 1939-1945 with Palm (The above are the current ribbons worn).[11]^[circular reference]	Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom and Field Marshal of the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Marshal of the Royal Australian Air Force, Marshal of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, Colonel-in-Chief-The Royal Canadian Regiment, Colonel-in-Chief - Army Cadet Force.
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom†	Auxiliary Territorial Service, British Army	Subaltern (equivalent to Army Lieutenant),  Junior Commander (equivalent to Army Captain)	1945–1949		World War II ATS Service	None	None	War Medal 1939-1945 , Defence Medal	Ceremonial Colonel-in-Chief of Commonwealth armies and Air Commodore-in-Chief of Commonwealth air forces

Notes

1. Medals that are shown in the "Medals" column, generally only include awards that include a medal ribbon that is worn in uniform, as opposed to some decorations which may be represented by other means. Click or tap on the ribbon to see the name and details.
2. Ranks that are shown in the "Rank whilst active" column are generally the highest rank achieved by the royal. Rank achieved later (i.e. after retirement from active service and movement to reserve list) is displayed in the "Current rank worn" column.
3. Rank is received and awarded by members of the Royal Family in generally two ways:

• They receive a regular commission after undergoing officer training with one of the Armed Services at their respective establishments; (Britannia Royal Naval College, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Royal Air Force College Cranwell).^[12]
• They are appointed to an honorary rank, either in addition to their regular rank or instead of, if they are not actively serving officers.^{[13][circular reference]}

N.B. Upon leaving active service, royal members are generally promoted to the rank they would have received, if they had stayed in the Armed Services.^[14]

Ranks and roles held by members of the royal family with no military service (honorary ranks)

These members of the royal family hold various honorary ranks within the British Armed Forces although having not served in the military before. Listed below are only those of the British military, but there are many more held throughout the Commonwealth.

These may include:

• Royal Colonel - an appointment made by the Monarch, to appointment of Colonel-in-Chief or Colonel of a regiment
• Honorary Air Commodore-in-Chief and Honorary Air Commodores for the Royal Air Force
• Honorary Commodore-in-Chief for the Royal Navy.

Photograph of Royal	Name of royal	Rank	Naval Roles	Army Roles	Air Force Roles	Uniform
In Household Cavalry uniform, as Colonel of Blues and Royals	Anne, Princess Royal	Admiral (2012), General, Air Chief Marshal	Chief Commandant for Women in the Royal Navy, Commodore-in-Chief of HMNB Portsmouth, Admiral of the SCC	Colonel-in-Chief of the following: 2nd Btn, Mercian Regt), Royal Corps of Signals, KRH, RLC, RAVC, the Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion & 52nd Lowland, 6th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, Intelligence Corps Affiliated Colonel-in-Chief of: the Queen's Gurkha Signals, Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment, Colonel of the Blues and Royals, Royal Honorary Colonel of the University of London OTC, Commandant-in-Chief of the FANY,	Honorary Air Commodore of: the University of London Air Squadron, RAF Brize Norton,	Uniform for all three services, the uniform worn is dependent upon the occasion (e.g. parade visit, working visit (e.g. to a ship), evening dinner, etc.) Plus any medals, qualification or trade badge may also be worn.
	Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh	None in own right, rank worn on occasion when acting in capacity as honorary rank (see right)	None	Colonel-in-Chief of the QARANC, RCAM/CAMUS, REME, Royal Colonel of 5th Battalion, The Rifles	Honorary Air Commodore, RAF Wittering

Military service of English monarchs

A few English monarchs came to the throne from other countries and served in the armies of their home country. A few served in other armies during their exile.

Service information

Name of royal	Service	Wartime service
George I of Great Britain	Army of the Dutch Republic	Franco-Dutch War
William III of England	Army of the Dutch Republic	Glorious Revolution
James II of England	Imperial French and Spanish Empire armies; he later served as Lord High Admiral of the Royal Navy	1652–1656
Charles II of England	English Army – Commander of West Country 1640s and the Engagers	English Civil War
Charles I of England	English Army	English Civil War
Henry V of England	English Army	Hundred Years' War
William II of England	English Army
William I of England	Army of the Normans	Norman invasion of England

See also

• British royal family
• The Canadian Crown and the Canadian Armed Forces
• List of honours of the British royal family by country
• British Armed Forces
• United Kingdom

References

1. "Prince Edward: Military Career". royal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
2. "Prince and Princess Michael of Kent: Military Involvement". royal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
3. "Royal flies with naval reserves".
4. "Prince of Wales: Military career". royal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
5. "The Duke of York: Military Career". royal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
6. "The prince with a difference". BBC. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
7. "Prince William: Career". royal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
8. "Prince Harry: Military Career". royal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 28 March 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
9. Cokayne, George (1940). The Complete Peerage. Vol. XIII. London: St. Catherine's Press. pp. 116–117.
10. "The Duke of Edinburgh: Naval Career". royal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 29 May 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
11. List of titles and honours of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh#Decorations and medals
12. Royal Air Force College Cranwell
13. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge#Military and air ambulance service
14. "The Duke of York". 26 October 2015.