King Charles has officially passed Prince Harry’s old regiment to Prince William. The move is yet another sign of his estrangement from the Duke of Sussex. To add salt to Harry’s wound, His Majesty appointed William as the colonel-in-chief of the Army Air Corps. The father-son turned up at a rare joint event at the Army Aviation Centre in Middle Wallop, down south. Read on to get the full scoop!
Prince William: The Future King Gets Prestigious Honour!
The prestigious honour will enable Prince William to lead the regiment which once came under Prince Harry’s command. Remember Harry’s time in Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter pilot? At the ceremony, William and Charles received a warm welcome from a Guard of Honour and Lieutenant General Sir Nicholas Borton. He is the Colonel Commandant of the Army Air Corps, who escorted them to the Army Flying Museum.
Moreover, well-wishers of the royal family gathered at the military base to cheer on King Charles. The reigning Monarch unveiled a plaque to mark the arrival of the first Apache AH Mk.1 in a UK museum. Interestingly, the ceremony fell on the exact day of Sussex’s conclusion of Nigeria’s tour. Following the ceremony, the royal pair posed in front of the helicopter.
Additionally, Prince William even flexed his flying skills by taking off in the Apache. The King praised his son’s piloting prowess, “The great thing is he’s a very good pilot indeed.” But get this: Prince Harry would have inherited this title had he continued his royal duties. But the Duke of Sussex didn’t look back and settled in the US with Meghan Markle back in 2020. So, King Charles passed the baton to William last August.
The King Gets Emotional At the Ceremony
During his impromptu speech, King Charles seemed to be on a rollercoaster of emotions. He looked back on his more than thirty-year journey with the corps and highlighted his admiration for the Army Air Corps’s work in Iraq and Afghanistan. “I do hope you’ll go from strength to strength in the future with the Prince of Wales as your new colonel-in-chief.”
Furthermore, Charles displayed confidence in Prince William ‘s abilities, citing his experience as a former RAF search and rescue pilot. Later in the day, William headed out for his first job with the Army Air Corps. He received a briefing on its work and inspection of training and operational aircraft. Meanwhile, the King’s move reportedly reduced Prince Harry to tears.
Royal expert Tom Quinn described it as a significant blow to Harry, as he always felt sidelined by the royal family. We wish Prince William an exciting journey ahead in the corps! Meanwhile, don’t forget to check out TV Season & Spoilers for more such exclusive royal updates!