Military service by British royalty

This is a list detailing military service by British royalty, namely formal military service. The honorary ranks and titles are included in a separate column. The "Rank whilst active" column, dictates the rank worn and held whilst the Royal was serving with the Armed Forces and the "Current rank worn" column denotes any rank worn currently (i.e. honorary rank, promotions etc) given to the members of the Royal Family.

Service Information
Name of Royal Branch of Service Rank whilst active Years of Service Current rank worn War time service Unit Military Training and Qualifications Medals Appointments and Other Roles
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge RN, British Army and RAF Squadron Leader, Captain, Lieutenant 2005–2013[1] Squadron Leader, Major, Lieutenant Commander None Blues and Royals, No. 22 Squadron (RAF Search and Rescue Force)[1] Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
RAF Cranwell and shorter training course at Britannia Royal Naval College		 Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, 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 Coningsby; Colonel of the Irish Guards
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex British Army and RAF Captain Afghanistan Major,[2] Squadron Leader, 2005–2015 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, Army Air Corps Pilot brevet and Royal Air Force Regiment shoulder flash Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan,
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal		 Canadian Ranger; Captain General Royal Marines; Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Honington; Commodore-in-Chief of Small Ships and Diving
Charles, Prince of Wales Royal Navy (RN), British Army and RAF Commander, Flight Lieutenant 1971–1976 Admiral of the Fleet, Field Marshal and 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 Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal, Fijian Independence Medal, Papua New Guinea Independence Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, Canadian Forces Decoration and 3 clasps, New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal, Saskatchewan Order of Merit, Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, Saskatchewan Centennial Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, New Zealand Armed Forces Award and Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal with two clasps 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[3][4]
Prince Andrew, Duke of York RN and RAF Commander (Ret'd)[5] 1980–2001 Vice Admiral[6], Air Commodore[7] Falklands War 815 Naval Air Squadron Royal Naval College, Dartmouth Commando Training Centre Royal Marines Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, South Atlantic Medal, with Rosette, Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal 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 to Her Majesty The Queen (AdC(P))
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex Royal Marines[8] Acting Lieutenant (withdrew from training) 1986–1987 See Appointments Unknown Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (Did Not Finish) Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, New Zealand Commemorative Medal, Sultan of Brunei Silver Jubilee Medal, Honorary Member of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit (SOM), Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan, Canadian Forces' Decoration and Sultan of Brunei Golden Jubilee Medal 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 Canada
The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment
Colonel-in-Chief, of Canada The Prince Edward Island Regiment
Colonel-in-Chief, of Canada the Saskatchewan Dragoons
Prince Michael of Kent British Army Major (Ret'd) 1963–1981 Vice-Admiral, Colonel and Air Marshall Cyprus 1971 - United Nations mission, Hong Kong 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own)[9] Royal Military Academy Sandhurst 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
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent British Army Lieutenant-Colonel 1955-1976 (Ret'd)[10] Field Marshal and Air Chief Marshal Sovereign Base Areas-Cyprus, Hong Kong, Eastern Command Royal Scots Greys Royal Military Academy Sandhurst 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 Philip, Duke of Edinburgh RN, British Army and Royal Air Force Commander[11] 1940-1952[11] Admiral of the Fleet, Field Marshal and 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 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		 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, Junior Commander (equivalent to Army Lieutenant) 1945–1949 World War II ATS Service None None War Medal 1939-1945,
Defence Medal		 Ceremonial Colonel-in-Chief - Commonwealth Armies and Air Commodore-in-Chief of Commonwealth Air Forces
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma RN Admiral of the Fleet 1913-1965[12] N/A World War I and World War II 5th Destroyer Flotilla Naval Cadet School See: Louis Mountbatten Honours
Order of Merit, Distinguished Service Order		 Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom), First Sea Lord
George VI of the United Kingdom RN, RAF Squadron Leader 1909–1919 N/A World War I HMS Collingwood
Royal Naval Air Service
RAF Cranwell
Independent Air Force		 Britannia Royal Naval College None 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
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom British Army, RAF Lieutenant 1914-1918 N/A World War I Grenadier Guards Osborne Naval College, Royal Naval College at Dartmouth 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[13]
George V of the United Kingdom RN Commander 1877–1891 N/A None HMS Bacchante None None Field Marshal of the British Army/Admiral of the Fleet of the Royal Navy/Marshal of the Royal Air Force
Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne British Army Lieutenant 1875–1881 2nd Life Guards, Territorial Army TD Colonel of the 4th/5th Battalion of the Black Watch
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
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester British Army Field Marshal 1919-1937 N/A 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
Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster British Army Major 1998-2008 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
George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven Royal Navy 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

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 War time 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

References

  1. 1 2 Prince William: Career accessed=11 March 2015 Archived 2 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ↑ "Prince Harry: Military Career". royal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "Prince of Wales: Military career". royal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  4. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles,_Prince_of_Wales#Honours_and_military_appointments
  5. ↑ "The Duke of York: Military Career". royal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  6. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Andrew,_Duke_of_York#Military_service
  7. ↑ https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/galleries/x701/383448.jpg
  8. ↑ "The prince with a difference". BBC. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  9. ↑ "Prince and Princess Michael of Kent: Military Involvement". royal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  10. ↑ "Prince Edward: Military Career". royal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  11. 1 2 "Prince Phillip: Naval Career". royal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on May 29, 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  12. ↑ Heathcote (2002), p. 183
  13. ↑ Cokayne, George (1940). The Complete Peerage. XIII. London: St. Catherine's Press. pp. 116–117.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.