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 royalBranch of serviceRank whilst activeYears of serviceCurrent rank wornWartime serviceUnitMilitary training and qualificationsMedalsAppointments and other roles Prince Edward, Duke of Kent as Colonel of the Scots Guards (2013) British Army Lieutenant-Colonel 1955–1976 (Ret'd) Field Marshal and None Royal Scots Greys Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
RAF pilot's flying badge/brevet (wings) 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. Air Chief Marshal Prince Michael of Kent as an Honorary Vice-Admiral, Royal Naval Reserve Major (Ret'd) 1963–1981 Vice-Admiral 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own) Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Prince Michael is a qualified military pilot 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 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 Colonel Air Marshal Charles III of the United Kingdom
as Field marshal of the British Army (2024) Commander 1971–1976 Field Marshal 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) 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 NationsRN, and RAF Admiral of the Fleet, Flight Lieutenant Marshal of the Royal Air Force Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
as Colonel-in-Chief of the Yorkshire Regiment Commander (Ret'd) 1980–2001 Commander (Ret'd) 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 the monarch) 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 Air Commodore Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh as Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary RM 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 None William, Prince of Wales as Colonel of the Welsh Guards (2023) Lieutenant Colonel 2005–2013 Lieutenant Colonel None Blues and Royals, No. 22 Squadron (RAF Search and Rescue Force) Royal Military Academy SandhurstRAF 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 RegimentRN Commander RNCommanderRAF Wing Commander Wing Commander Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
as a Captain in Household Cavalry Regiment (Blues and Royals) (2013) British Army Captain 2005–2015 Major, 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 the monarch) 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 royalBranch of serviceRank whilst activeYears of serviceLast rank wornWartime serviceUnitMilitary training and qualificationsMedalsAppointments 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 Admiral of the Fleet 1868–1914 Anglo-Egyptian War, First World War 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) 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 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 OrderGeorge VI of the United Kingdom†
as Admiral of the Fleet during the Second World WarRN, RAF Lieutenant (RN), Squadron Leader1909–1919(as monarch) Admiral of the Fleet, Field Marshal Marshal of the Royal Air ForceHMS CollingwoodRoyal Naval Air ServiceRAF CranwellIndependent Air ForceBritannia 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' DecorationColonel-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, DartmouthKnight 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 WarBritish Army, RAF Lieutenant1914–1918N/AWorld War IGrenadier GuardsOsborne Naval College, Royal Naval College at Dartmouth
RAF pilot's flying badge/brevet (wings)Military CrossColonel-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 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 ForcePrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh† as Admiral of the FleetRN, British Army and RAF Commander1940–1952 Admiral of the Fleet, Field Marshal, Marshal of the Royal Air ForceWorld War II – Allied invasion of Sicily, Battle of Crete, Battle of Cape MatapanBritish Pacific FleetRoyal 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).List of titles and honours of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh#Decorations and medalsLord 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)1945–1949World War II ATS ServiceNoneNoneWar Medal 1939-1945 , Defence Medal Ceremonial Colonel-in-Chief of Commonwealth armies and Air Commodore-in-Chief of Commonwealth air forces
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