The Board of Admiralty (1628–1964) was established in 1628[1] when Charles I put the office of Lord High Admiral into commission.

The office of the Lord High Admiral from creation was the titular head of the Royal Navy and its holders were primarily responsible for policy direction, operational control and maritime jurisdiction of the service.

After the serving Lord High Admiral, James, Duke of York (future James II of England), had been disqualified from the office as a Roman Catholic following the Test Act 1673, the Board of Commissioners consisted of between twelve and sixteen Privy Councillors, who served without salaries.

[3] With the exception of the years 1702 to 1709 and 1827 to 1828, when an individual Lord High Admiral was appointed who convened a Lord High Admirals Council to manage naval affairs, this remained the case (although the number of Commissioners varied) until the Admiralty became part of the Ministry of Defence in 1964.

[3] The eighteenth century Board of Admiralty usually contained a preponderance of civilians, although there was a naval element and often a sea officer was First Lord.

For fuller details of Board membership during this period see The Second World War: A Guide to Documents in the Public Record Office (PRO Handbooks No.15) pp13–24.

In 2011, Queen Elizabeth II bestowed the title of Lord High Admiral on her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, which he held until his death in 2021.