His Worship the Mayor of Gibraltar Anthony Lima has been granted a rare honorary role by the Queen.

He was approved an appointment as an Honorary Commander Royal Naval Reserve by order of Her Majesty the Queen and is the first person outside of the UK to be granted such a prestigious honour.

His Worship was the final Commanding Officer of HMS Calpe the then Headquarters of the Royal Navy Reserve, it is therefore very fitting that he will be affiliated with the Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron and his mentor and point of contact will be the Commander British Forces.

His Worship said: “I am absolutely delighted to be able to serve Her Majesty in Gibraltar. It is truly an honour and a privilege to be given this appointment.”

An announcement of his position was made by Commander British Forces Commodore John Clink during a rare Naval tradition ‘Slice the Mainbrace’, where a toast to Prince George was made by His Excellency The Governor.

The tradition of ‘Slice the Mainbrace’ stems from the title of one of the most difficult emergency repair jobs aboard a sailing ship which normally takes place in the heat of battle. A sailor would put himself in extreme danger to repair the mainbrace and as a reward would be given an extra ration of rum on completion.

Today the traditional ration of rum is given to all naval personnel on very rare special occasions including the birth of a royal baby.