King Charles III officially presented his son William with the honorary rank of Colonel of the Royal Air Force during a visit to a military base. This role was previously anticipated to be passed on to his brother Harry. The British monarch, who was diagnosed with cancer in February and is currently undergoing treatment, met with military personnel and their families alongside the heir to the throne at Middle Wallop Airfield in Hampshire, southern England.
The king expressed, "I would like to convey my great happiness to be with you, even for a brief time, but the joy is mixed with deep sadness after 32 years of working with you and following your numerous successes." Charles III became the first Colonel of the Royal Air Force 32 years ago and announced last year his intention to pass this title to his successor.
His younger son Harry, who has had a contentious relationship with the royal family and resides in the United States, served in this regiment during a mission in Afghanistan in 2012, where he piloted an Apache helicopter and served as a co-pilot gunner. There had long been expectations that Harry would inherit this honorary title after his father; however, the Duke of Sussex stepped back from his royal duties in 2020 when he left the UK with his wife Meghan.
Harry did not see his father while he was in London last Wednesday to attend a celebration marking the ten-year anniversary of the Invictus Games, an international competition for injured soldiers overseen by the Duke of Sussex. A spokesperson for the prince attributed this to the king’s "extremely busy" schedule.
After three months away from public engagements, while still continuing with some official duties, the 75-year-old king resumed some of his public activities in early May. After receiving the new military title, Prince William was briefed on his new responsibilities on Monday, before departing the airbase on an Apache helicopter in the afternoon for his inaugural flight in this role.
The heir to the throne spent over seven years in the British Army, including three years as a search and rescue helicopter commander at the Royal Air Force base in Anglesey, Wales, until 2013.
