How a larger carrier force could elevate carrier leadership

Would an earlier large carrier capability have changed Royal Navy carrier doctrine?

Yes. It could have created a more senior carrier command earlier and given naval aviation stronger institutional backing.

A hypothetical carrier from the same family as Hood would give the Royal Navy a substantial strike carrier in the 1920s. A ship of that stature could justify a vice admiral's carrier command around 1924 or 1925. Naval aviation would then have a more senior officer advocating for its development before the rear-admiral carrier appointment established in 1930. Henderson's achievements between 1930 and 1933 suggest how much influence such an appointment could carry. One of those earlier vice admirals might also have reached First Sea Lord before the Second World War.