Photo Credit: Reuters
King Charles III has made a significant decision by handing over a senior military role to his son, Prince William. The ceremony took place at the Army Aviation Centre in Hampshire.
For 32 years, King Charles held the position of colonel-in-chief of the Army Air Corps. Now, he passes the baton to his eldest son, Prince William. "I did just want to say what a great joy it is to be with you even briefly on this occasion. But also tinged with great sadness after 32 years of knowing you all and admiring all your many activities and your achievements throughout the time, I've been lucky enough to be Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps.
So all I can say is that having had the pleasure of knowing you for so long, I do hope you'll go from strength to strength in the future with the Prince of Wales as your new Colonel-in-Chief. The great thing is he's a very good pilot indeed so that's encouraging. So ladies and gentlemen, look after yourselves and I can't tell you how proud it has made me to be involved with you all this time,” King Charles said
Despite ongoing cancer treatment, King Charles is gradually returning to public duties. In addition to formally transferring the Army Air Corps title to the next generation, he met with veterans, families, and explored exhibits at the Army Flying Museum. Notably, he unveiled a plaque commemorating an Apache helicopter now on display at the museum. It’s worth mentioning that Prince Harry, the King’s youngest son, flew Apaches during his two tours of duty in Afghanistan.
Interestingly, there was no meeting between the King and Prince Harry during Harry’s recent visit to the UK. Prince Harry’s spokesperson cited the King’s busy schedule as the reason. Instead, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, travelled to Nigeria for events related to charities and his Invictus Games project.
Following the handover ceremony, Prince William wasted no time in his new role. He engaged in his first official duty, which involved viewing training and receiving a briefing on the current work of the Army Air Corps.
