<Tr> <Th> Residence </Th> <Td> Buckingham Palace (principal residence) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Seat </Th> <Td> London </Td> </Tr> <P> The Commander - in - Chief of the British Armed Forces is a position vested in the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II, who as Sovereign and head of state is the "Head of the Armed Forces". Long - standing constitutional convention, however, has vested de facto executive authority, by the exercise of Royal Prerogative powers, in the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Defence, and the Prime Minister (acting with the support of the Cabinet) makes the key decisions on the use of the armed forces . The Queen, however, remains the "ultimate authority" of the military, with officers and personnel swearing allegiance only to the monarch . </P> <P> The Ministry of Defence is the Government department and highest level of military headquarters charged with formulating and executing defence policy for the Armed Forces; it employed 103,930 civilians in 2006 . The department is controlled by the Secretary of State for Defence (or "the Defence Secretary") and contains three deputy appointments: Minister of State for the Armed Forces, Minister for Defence Procurement, and Minister for Veterans' Affairs . </P>

Is the british prime minister commander in chief