Britain’s King Charles handed his son Prince William the top military post in a ceremony on Monday, marking a rare joint appearance by the pair.
Charles presented William with the title of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps – a position the 75-year-old monarch has held for 32 years – in front of an Apache helicopter and in the presence of military personnel at the Army Flying Museum in southern England. It was the first public father-son event since 2022. Charles said of his son, a former helicopter search and rescue pilot for Britain’s Royal Air Force:
“He’s a very good pilot indeed.”
The visit was Charles’ last event since he returned to work at the end of April, almost three months after Buckingham Palace announced he was undergoing treatment for an unspecified type of cancer.
Prince William, 41, also took a break from official duties for a few weeks in March and April this year, preferring to spend time with and care for his wife Kate after she revealed she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer. He said on Friday she was “doing well”.
At the handover ceremony, Charles said he was saying goodbye with “sadness” but the Army Air Corps would go from “strength to strength” under his son. Charles said:
“Look after yourselves and I can’t tell you how proud it has made me to have been involved with you all this time.”
William is a former Royal Air Force search and rescue helicopter pilot.
Harry rose to the rank of Apache helicopter commander during his ten years of service and deployed to Afghanistan in 2007-2008 and 2012-2013.
Many thought Harry would take on the role until he stepped away from royal duties in 2020. Then, he moved to the US with wife Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex and their two young children, Archie and Lilibet.
