Ahead of No Time To Die finally releasing in many territories next week, Daniel Craig has just received a major honor from the Royal Navy that puts him at the same rank as the world-famous super-spy he portrays. Everyone knows that James Bond is a secret agent for MI6, but what’s often forgotten is that he has a naval military background and holds the rank of Commander. And now, so does Craig.
On Twitter, Forces News has announced that the Casino Royale star has been appointed an Honorary Commander of the Royal Navy. Craig revealed how touched he was by the appointment, saying in an accompanying statement: “I am truly privileged and honored to be appointed the rank of Honorary Commander in the senior service.”
See photos of Craig in his honorary naval uniform via the tweet below:
James Bond’s full title is Commander James Bond CMG RNVR, which indicates that he’s a member of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George and the Royal Naval Reserve. In the original novels by Ian Fleming, Bond served in the navy during the Second World War before he was recruited into the world of espionage following its conclusion. The character’s military past doesn’t come up too much in the movies, but he has pulled rank and donned his old naval uniform again in certain films, such as The Spy Who Loved Me and Tomorrow Never Dies.
The reason that Craig is receiving this honor now is that his historic tenure as 007 is finally about to come to an end, as No Time to Die is officially his last ever time playing the role. There’s no telling who’s going to replace him as yet, but the actor has revealed that he doesn’t think it should be a woman, as he believes more original strong female characters should be created instead of gender-flipping male ones.
James Bond returns when No Time To Die shoots into UK cinemas on September 30th and then hits the US on October 6th.
