The King as Admiral of the Fleet
From a Photograph by Russell
On the publication of the official March Navy List—there was no issue for February 1901—it was seen that the words “The King” appeared at the head of the Service. This had been done before in lists published by private enterprise, but never before in the list published “by authority.” The circumstance that, while in the Army List Queen Victoria appeared as the head of the land forces, a similar course was not taken in the Navy List had always been regarded as curious, especially considering that the sea service is designated the “Royal” Navy, while the Army is not so described. When an official Navy List was first issued in January 1814 there was no indication in it of the monarch’s existence. The Duke of Clarence appeared as the only Admiral of the Fleet with a commission dated 27th December 1811, and he continued to appear in each list as it was issued quarterly up to March 1830. In the next list, dated in June of the same year, by which time he had succeeded as William IV., his name had disappeared, and for all the lists tell us he might have entirely severed his connection from the Navy.
The introduction of the King’s name into the official Navy List did not of course mean any diminution of the power and authority conferred on the Lords Commissioners for executing the office of the Lord High Admiral, but merely that His Majesty desired to associate himself personally with the Navy, of which he had become the head. The change simply emphasised the fact that the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines are the loyal and devoted servants of the King, and it is another instance of that gracious tact for which Edward VII. is renowned.
Debarred by the tradition of his House from himself entering our first line of defence, the King nevertheless—as indeed he says in his gracious Message—chose the Navy for the early education of both his sons. In other ways he has never failed to demonstrate in every possible way his love of the sea, of which indeed he has had a pretty wide experience. We have seen how often he took passage in various warships on his travels, and it will be remembered that the Hero, in which he returned from visiting Canada and the United States, was driven by a storm out of her course and the Royal party were reduced to salt fare. His Majesty thus early made acquaintance with the hardships as well as with the pleasant side of a sailor’s life.
King William IV. once said: “There is no place in the world for making an English gentleman like the quarter-deck of an English man-of-war,” and his great-nephew, King Edward, evidently took the same view. It was in 1877 that an important step was taken in regard to the education of the King’s two sons, which had long been the subject of anxious thought and care to both their parents. It had not hitherto been the custom to send Princes in the direct line of succession into the Navy, that service being no doubt considered too hazardous. But the strong affection subsisting between Prince Albert Victor and Prince George made their father unwilling to separate them, and so in June 1877 they entered the Britannia together as naval cadets. The decision significantly showed how highly His Majesty appreciated the naval service as a mental and moral training school.
It will be remembered that in that eventful year, 1887, His Majesty was appointed an Honorary Admiral of the Fleet; and later on, the marriage of his daughter, Princess Maud, to Prince Charles of Denmark, who was a Lieutenant in the Danish Navy, gave His Majesty peculiar gratification.
The King’s Message to the Army, contained in a special Army order, was as follows:—
“Osborne, 25th January 1901.