King Charles hands military title to son William in rare joint appearance
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Britain's King Charles handing over the role of colonel-in-chief of the Army Air Corps to Prince William at the Army Aviation Centre in Middle Wallop, Britain, on May 13.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Britain’s King Charles handed over a senior military role to his son, Prince William, at a ceremony on May 13, marking a rare joint appearance for the pair as the King steps up his return to public duties after his cancer diagnosis.
The King presented Prince William with the title of colonel-in-chief of the Army Air Corps – a position the 75-year-old monarch held for 32 years – in front of an Apache helicopter, and watched by service personnel at the Army Flying Museum in southern England.
“He’s a very good pilot indeed,” the King said of his son, a former helicopter search and rescue pilot for Britain’s Royal Air Force.
The visit was the monarch’s latest engagement since he returned to work at the end of April, almost three months after Buckingham Palace announced he was being treated for an unspecified type of cancer
Prince William, 41, had also taken a break from official duties for several weeks in March and April 2024, choosing to spend time with and care for his wife after she revealed she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer
He said on May 10 that she was “doing well”.
At the handover ceremony, King Charles said he was saying goodbye with “sadness”, but the Army Air Corps would go from “strength to strength” under his son.
“Look after yourselves and I can’t tell you how proud it has made me to have been involved with you all this time,” the King said.
The title transfer was announced last August after the King’s accession to the throne. Prince William spent time with the corps, viewing training and equipment, and hearing from soldiers later on May 13. REUTERS
