In what's understood as a major snub to Prince Harry, King Charles has appointed Prince William as the head of Harry's old military regiment.
King Charles has presented the Colonel-in-Chief title of the Army Air Corps to Prince William at the Army Aviation Centre in Middle Wallop, where the official transfer took place. During the visit, the King unveiled a special commemorative plaque marking the first UK museum installation of the Apache AH Mk. 1.
He was also honoured with a guard before Lieutenant General Sir Nicholas Borton and the Colonel Commandant of the Army Air Corps chaperoned him for an exclusive tour of the Army Flying Museum.
The eloquent King expressed a "tinge of sadness" about giving up his Colonel-in-Chief role but assured everyone they were in safe hands with William leading. He added: "I do hope you will go from strength to strength in the future with the Prince of Wales as your new Colonel-in-Chief. The great thing is that he is a very good pilot indeed so that's encouraging," reports the Mirror.
The weekend brought a significant announcement from Buckingham Palace, which is sure to impact Prince Harry given his past service in the same regiment during his time in Afghanistan. The Palace revealed on Saturday: "At the Army Aviation Centre in Middle Wallop, His Majesty The King will officially hand over the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales.
"In August 2023, following His Majesty's Accession, The King was pleased to announce military appointments including that The Prince of Wales would become Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps. The role was previously held by His Majesty The King, as Prince of Wales, for 31 years."
Upon his arrival on Monday, King Charles engaged with veteran Aaron Mapplebeck, who shared his experience of undergoing chemotherapy for testicular cancer last year and mentioned his resulting loss of taste, a symptom the King empathised with, claiming he had experienced the same.
Royal commentator Michael Cole has expressed that this development might not sit well with Prince Harry, who is currently away in Nigeria with his wife Meghan. Speaking on Sunday, he remarked: "It is quite a snub. For the King to not see his younger son, Prince Harry, although the two men will be only two miles apart tomorrow afternoon, gives an indication of the depth of the divide.
"The Prodigal Son is not welcome - not for the present, anyway. In royal terms, this is big medicine. Prince Harry is bound to see it for what it is, the clearest possible indication of the hurt that has been caused."
