The Monarchy and the Armed Forces
The RNZN and the Monarchy
The Crown has always maintained a close relationship with the armed forces, which are raised in the Queen's name. The Sovereign is head of the armed services. The Governor-General is styled Commander-in-Chief in and over New Zealand, although no specific duties attach to the latter office that do not belong to the office as representative of the Queen.
Successive Governors-General have attested to the quite special relationship which has traditionally existed between the office of Governor-General and the armed services. On formal and informal occasions when visiting military installations, they have been accorded respect and support.
The Royal New Zealand Navy has always been eager to preserve the symbolic role of the Crown as non-political head of the armed forces.
The Sovereign and members of the Royal Family are also traditionally given various naval appointments and ranks. Her Majesty has held the ancient title of Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom since 1962, the only naval rank which she has assumed. Members of the Royal Family have served in the navy, some in action. The Queen's father, HRH Prince Albert (later HM King George VI), served in the Royal Navy and saw action at the Battle of Jutland in 1916.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh is Admiral of the Fleet of the Royal New Zealand Navy. He served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, retiring from active duty in 1951 with the rank of Lieutenant-Commander.
In the last eighteen months of the war he was First Lieutenant of HMS Whelp, a W-class destroyer in the Eastern Fleet and the Australia-based British Pacific Fleet.
While with her he took part in Force 63 in strikes on Sumatran oil refineries March-May 1945, and as part of the assault on Okinawa by Task Force 57. His Royal Highness's ship was present as one of two Royal Navy escorts to flagship of the British Pacific Fleet at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Harbour.
The Duke of Edinburgh is now an Admiral of the Fleet in the Royal Navy, Captain-General of the Royal Marines, and Master of the Corporation of Trinity House, the General Lighthouse Authority for the United Kingdom.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales served in the Royal Navy 1971-76, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant. In 1974 he was appointed to HMS Jupiter as Flight Deck Officer, Assistant Intelligence Officer, and Officer of the Watch, also doubling as Entertainment's Officer, Communications Officer, and as a Divisional Officer.
The ship went on an extended deployment to Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States of America. Prince Charles is now a Vice Admiral, and an Elder Brother of the Corporation of Trinity House.
Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal was Chief Commandant, Women's Royal Naval Service, and is now a Rear Admiral, and Chief Commandant for Women in Royal Navy.
His Royal Highness the Duke of York was a serving Commander in the Royal Navy, in which he served from 1979 to 2001. After training at Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, and with the Fleet Air Arm, he joined the aircraft carrier HMS Invincible in 1981 as second pilot of a Sea King anti-submarine helicopter.
In 1982 he took part in Operation Corporate, the recovery of the Falkland Islands from Argentina.
From April 1999 His Royal Highness has served in the Naval Staff Directorate, where he was in the Diplomatic section of the Naval Staff Directorate. This is responsible for the international relations of the Royal Navy. Prince Andrew is also Admiral of the Sea Cadet Corps, and an Elder Brother of the Corporation of Trinity House.
His Royal Highness the Earl of Wessex served in the Royal Marines 1983-87 as an Acting Lieutenant.
Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra is Patron, Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service.
His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent is an Honorary Commodore, Royal Naval Reserve. He was formerly Patron, and Honorary Auxiliary Commodore, of the now disbanded Royal Naval Auxiliary Service.
Whilst always acting upon ministerial advise in respect of the armed forces, the relatively close personal relationship fostered between the armed forces and the Governor-General serves as a reminder that the armed forces, like the Crown, are above party politics.
The New Zealand Army and the Monarchy
The Crown has always maintained a close relationship with the armed forces, which are raised in the Queen's name. The Sovereign is head of the armed services. The Governor-General is styled Commander-in-Chief in and over New Zealand, although no specific duties attach to the latter office that do not belong to the office as representative of the Queen.
Successive Governors-General have attested to the quite special relationship which has traditionally existed between the office of Governor-General and the armed services. On formal and informal occasions when visiting military installations, they have been accorded respect and support.
The New Zealand Army has always been eager to preserve the symbolic role of the Crown as non-political head of the armed forces.
The Sovereign and members of the Royal Family are also traditionally given various military appointments and ranks.
Her Majesty The Queen is Colonel-in-Chief of the Corps of Royal New Zealand Engineers, and of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment. She was formerly Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps, until it was disbanded in 1996. She is also Captain-General of the Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery, and of the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps.
Her Majesty served briefly in the British Army in the closing days of the Second World War. She was commissioned as a Second Subaltern (the Womens Royal Army Corps equivalent to second lieutenant) 14 April 1945, after training at No 1 Mechanical Transport Training Centre, Camberley, near Windsor Castle.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh is Field Marshal in the New Zealand Army, the first, and to date, only holder of this rank. He was Colonel-in-Chief, the Corps of Royal New Zealand Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, until that corps was disbanded in 1996.
He was also formerly Colonel-in-Chief of the New Zealand Infantry Corps, the Hawkes Bay Regiment, and the Otago and Southland Regiment.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales is a Lieutenant-General in the British Army. Both his sons are in the army, Prince Willam as an Officer Cadet at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and Prince Harry as a Subaltern in the Blues and Royals.
Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal is Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals, and of the Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps. Earlier this year her visit to New Zealand included visits to these corps.
His Royal Highness the Duke of York has been Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment since 1996. His visit to New Zealand late last year saw him presenting a new Banner to the regiment.
Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret the Countess of Snowdon was formerly Colonel-in-Chief, the Royal New Zealand Infantry Corps, and of The Northland Regiment, until the reorganisation of the infantry corps in 1964.
Her Royal Highness Alice Duchess of Gloucester was Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal New Zealand Corps of Transport to 1996, and was Colonel-in-Chief, the Royal New Zealand Army Service Corps.
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester has been Colonel Commandant of the Royal New Zealand Army Education Corps since 1985.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent is a Field Marshal in the British Army. He was a Lieutenant-Colonel of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (formerly the Royal Scots Greys), in which he served 1954-76. He served as GSO II General Headquarters of the United Kingdom Land Forces and Eastern Command, Hounslow, in which he served on the staff of the CVR(T) development team which produced the Scorpion light tank.
The Duchess of Kent is an Honorary Major-General, and was Controller Commandant Women's Royal Army Corps.
Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra was Colonel-in-Chief of the Wellington and West Coast and Taranaki Regiment until the re-organisation of the infantry arm of the New Zealand army in 1964.
His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent was a Major in the Royal Hussars, in which he served 1961-81. As a qualified Russian interpreter, he spent several tours in the Defence Intelligence Staff.
Whilst always acting upon ministerial advise in respect of the armed forces, the relatively close personal relationship fostered between the armed forces and the Governor-General serves as a reminder that the armed forces, like the Crown, are above party politics.
The RNZAF and the Monarchy
The Crown has always maintained a close relationship with the armed forces, which are raised in the Queen's name. The Sovereign is head of the armed services. The Governor-General is styled Commander-in-Chief in and over New Zealand, although no specific duties attach to the latter office that do not belong to the office as representative of the Queen.
Successive Governors-General have attested to the quite special relationship which has traditionally existed between the office of Governor-General and the armed services. On formal and informal occasions when visiting military installations, they have been accorded respect and support.
The RNZAF has always been eager to preserve the symbolic role of the Crown as non-political head of the armed forces.
The Sovereign and members of the Royal Family are also traditionally given various air force appointments and ranks. Her Majesty The Queen is Air Commodore-in-Chief New Zealand Territorial Air Force.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh is the first ever Marshal of the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales holds the appointment of Air Commodore in Chief of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. He had received flying lessons from 1968. He served in the Royal Air Force in 1971, retiring with the rank of flight lieutenant.
In October 1975 he took instruction on the Andovers of The Queen's Flight, and from then until 1994 he had regularly taken the controls of aircraft in the Flight when carrying out official visits.
He is no longer current on any aircraft type, since this requires regular flights or the passing of simulator tests every six months.
Prince Charles is now an Air Marshal in the Royal Air Force.
His Royal Highness the Duke of York is a personal Aide de Camp to the Queen, but does not hold any air force appointments (except Honorary Air Commodore RAF Lossiemouth), although he flew helicopters in the Fleet Air Arm between 1981 and 1996.
Her Royal Highness Alice Duchess of Gloucester is an Air Chief Marshal of the Royal Air Force, and Air Chief Commandant, Women, Royal Air Force. She was formerly Air Chief Commandant, Women's Royal Air Force, and before that Air Chief Commandant, Women's Auxiliary Air Force, a post to which she was appointed in 1941.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester is an Air Marshal in the Royal Air Force.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent is an Air Chief Marshal in the Royal Air Force. His father died in an air crash in 1942 while serving as an Air Commodore on the staff of the Inspector-General of the RAF.
Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra is Air Chief Commandant and Patron, Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service.
Whilst always acting upon ministerial advise in respect of the armed forces, the relatively close personal relationship fostered between the armed forces and the Governor-General serves as a reminder that the armed forces, like the Crown, are above party politics.