Air Commodore-in-Chief is a senior honorary air force appointment which originated in the Royal Air Force and now exists in the air forces of various Commonwealth realms. Appointees are made Air Commodore-in-Chief of a large air force organisation or formation. Initially only the British monarch held air commodore-in-chief appointments. However, since the second half of the 20th century, other members of the royal family have been appointed to such positions in the United Kingdom and the other realms such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand., these appointments have been given to just six senior members of the royal family, of whom four were reigning or future monarchs of the Commonwealth realms.
Air commodore-in-chief appointments do not confer a rank, be it air commodore or otherwise. Air commodore-in-chief appointments are more senior than honorary air commodore appointments. The equivalent naval title of Commodore-in-Chief was introduced in 2006.
Prince Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII and then Duke of Windsor), held the following appointments:
See also: List of titles and honours of King George VI. King George VI held the following appointments:
See also: List of titles and honours of Queen Elizabeth II. Queen Elizabeth II held the following appointments:
Australia 1954 – 2022 : Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Australian Citizen Air Force
Canada 1953 – 1968: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Air Force Auxiliary
New Zealand 1953 – 2022: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Territorial Air Force of New Zealand[4]See also: List of titles and honours of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, held the following appointments:
/ Canada / 1953 – 2021: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Air CadetsSee also: List of titles and honours of Charles III. King Charles III, held the following appointments:
New Zealand 1977 –2015: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal New Zealand Air Force[5]
United Kingdom 2022 –present: Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force[6]