While attending a ceremony at Devonport naval base, Queen Camilla has been awarded an esteemed title in a historic move, making her the first royal family member and first woman to hold the designation
Queen Camilla has become the first member of the royal family and first woman to be appointed Vice Admiral of the United Kingdom. The honour was given to the Queen during a ceremony at Devonport naval base in Plymouth today, where, as the sponsor of HMS Astute, she joined a ceremony to mark the end of the submarine’s first commission.
Gen Sir Gwyn Jenkins, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, said Camilla’s new historic title would “further enhance Her Majesty’s relationship with the service” and reflected the “high regard” she commands with sailors and other Naval officers.
Arriving at the naval base, Queen Camilla inspected a Guard of Honour consisting of submariners before the ship’s company performed a traditional “Cheer Ship” salute, as the Queen descended onto the submarine’s deck.
As Lady Sponsor of the HMS Astute submarine, the Queen has maintained close ties with the vessel, and the Navy at large, since naming it in 2007. Since taking on the role of Lady Sponsor, she has been considered a key member of the submarine’s ship’s company and has stayed closely connected with the 135-strong crew.
Camilla’s support has come in the form of annual writings to the crew onboard the vessel, as well as the delivery of care packages that include English breakfast tea and shortbread, which were “really well received on board” according to naval sources.
The office and esteemed title of Vice Admiral of the United Kingdom dates back to the mid-16th century, after it was created by Henry VIII in 1513. The most recent holder of the title was Admiral Lord Boyce, the former First Sea Lord and Chief of the Defence Staff, who died in 2022 aged 79.
Rear Admiral Andy Perks, head of the submarine service, presented Camilla with the honour, which included the formal presentation of a burgee, or pennant, to recognise the Queen’s ongoing support for the Royal Navy.
Commander Christopher Bate, HMS Astute’s Commanding Officer, expressed the crew’s pride in the Queen’s sponsorship, as he said: “Her Majesty The Queen has supported us from the very beginning. She has consistently shown a deep commitment to all aspects of our work.”
He added: “It is a proud and memorable moment to welcome Her Majesty to HMS Astute and for her to meet our families as we mark the end of our first commission.”
While at the naval base, Queen Camilla was given a very unusual gift: a roll of cling film. The Queen was presented with the roll of cling film on a wooden stand after the ceremony, which was engraved with the words: “First of class, second to none.”
The gift marks an inside joke between the submariners as cling film apparently kept the vessel going when they used it to wrap the engines more than two years ago. Camilla found the strange gift very amusing, exclaiming: “The famous clingfilm!” The submariners engraved the gift with a special message: “Clingfilm, keeping Nuclear Submarines at Sea”.
General Sir Gwyn Jenkins met with Queen Camilla earlier today at another event, and expressed his joy over bestowing Camilla with the honour.
He said: “We’re super proud of Her Majesty’s role with HMS Astute, as are the crew, it really matters a lot to us as a Navy and to them as a crew that it’s the Queen’s submarine.”
The Queen then joked to him about not wanting to serve on a submarine, with the head of the Royal Navy saying: “I think we would all recognise that being a submariner is a very special skill set, you have to be really committed to the role and what you do for the country. It can be phenomenally rewarding, it’s an amazing sense of teamwork onboard, but it’s not for everyone.”
