Ripley Building

Admiralty Department

Coat of Arms of Her Majesty's Government
Department overview
Formed	1709
Preceding Department	Office of the Admiralty and Marine Affairs
Dissolved	1964
Superseding agency	Navy Department, Ministry of Defence
Jurisdiction	Government of the United Kingdom
Headquarters	War Office building Whitehall London
Department executive	First Lord of the Admiralty
Parent Department	HM Government

The Admiralty formerly known as the Office of the Admiralty and Marine Affairs, was the government department responsible for the command of the Royal Navy first in the Kingdom of England, second in the Kingdom of Great Britain, and from 1801-1964, the United Kingdom and former British Empire. Originally exercised by a single person, the Lord High Admiral, the Admiralty was, from the early 18th century onwards, almost invariably put "in commission" and exercised by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, who sat on the Board of Admiralty.

In 1964, the functions of the Admiralty were transferred to a new Admiralty Board, which is a committee of the tri-service Defence Council of the United Kingdom and part of the Navy Department of the Ministry of Defence. The new Admiralty Board meets only twice a year, and the day-to-day running of the Royal Navy is controlled by a Navy Board (not to be confused with the historic Navy Board described later in this article). It is common for the various authorities now in charge of the Royal Navy to be referred to as simply The Admiralty.

The title of Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom was vested in the monarch from 1964 to 2011. The title was awarded to Philip, Duke of Edinburgh by Queen Elizabeth II on his 90th birthday. There also continues to be a Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom and a Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom, both of which are honorary offices.