The Canadian Minister of National Defence, The Honourable Jason Kenney, has announced that The Prince of Wales and The Princess Royal have both been appointed as Commodores-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Navy by their mother, Her Majesty The Queen.
Commodore-in-Chief is one of the honorary appointments intended to maintain a direct link between the Royal Family and the Canadian Armed Forces, and is associated with the Royal Canadian Navy.
Prince Charles and Princess Anne are Colonels-in-Chief of seven Canadian military regiments each. Their parents both serve as Air Commodores-in-Chief; The Queen of the Air Reserves of Canada, and The Duke of Edinburgh of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. Various other members of the Royal Family have also been appointed as Colonels-in-Chief by Her Majesty.
However, this is the first time that a member of the Royal Family has been appointed as Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Navy. The Prince of Wales will hold the position of Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Atlantic, while The Princess Royal will be the Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Pacific.
The position of Commodore-in-Chief is ceremonial in nature, and involves being kept informed of the activities of the unit. These new appointments coincide with the Royal Canadian Navy’s commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the end of the Battle of the Atlantic, one of the campaigns during the Second World War.
“The Royal Family has had a strong relationship with the Royal Canadian Navy since the inception of this proud institution in 1910,” said the Minister of National Defence.
“I am therefore delighted to welcome the appointments of The Prince of Wales and The Princess Royal as the new Commodores-in-Chief of our Royal Canadian Navy. It is fitting that this honour should be bestowed on the anniversary of the end of the Battle of the Atlantic, during which British and Canadian naval forces fought side by side on the high sea for freedom, peace and democracy.”
Featured photo credit: damiandude via photopin cc
