Ahead of the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing, King Charles III is giving Prince William command of the British Army battalion where his brother Prince Harry formerly served.
William will now serve as colonel-in-chief of the Army Air Corps, the British Army’s combat aviation division, according to a statement released by Buckingham Palace on Friday. Harry served in this division as a helicopter pilot in Afghanistan.
“The new appointments will continue to reflect the close relationship between the Armed Forces and the Royal Family in His Majesty’s reign,” the statement read.
Kate Middleton, the wife of William, was granted three new roles, one of which is the commodore-in-chief of the Fleet Air Arm.
This particular designation was formerly held by Prince Andrew, who was stripped of the position amidst allegations in a civil sexual assault case. Reportedly, he settled the case by paying millions of dollars.
Another title that was previously associated with Andrew has been bestowed upon Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, the wife of Prince Edward. She is now the colonel-in-chief of the Royal Irish Regiment.
It’s worth noting that the reshuffling did not reinstate any of Andrew’s prior military titles.
Prince William, who once served as a search and rescue pilot in the Royal Air Force (RAF), has been appointed as colonel-in-chief of the Mercian Regiment, an infantry regiment within the British Army. Additionally, he has been made the royal honorary air commodore of RAF Valley, a military installation situated on the island of Anglesey off the coast of Wales. During his three-year tenure at RAF Valley until 2013, William reportedly participated in 156 rescue operations, resulting in the saving of 149 lives.
William’s appointment to lead the Army Air Corps and specifically, Harry’s former unit within it—662 Squadron—might raise some eyebrows in the United Kingdom. According to Joe Little, the managing editor of Majesty Magazine, it’s quite plausible that Harry himself could have been considered for the role had he not stepped back from his role as a working royal. Little stated to the Daily Mirror that “if Harry had remained in the picture, he might have secured additional appointments.”
Earlier this year, the Duke of Sussex garnered attention from certain sectors of the British military establishment when he disclosed in his memoir his involvement in eliminating 25 Taliban members during his time in Afghanistan with the 662 Squadron. In the book, he described them as “chess pieces removed from the board” and mentioned that he neither derived satisfaction from the tally nor felt ashamed by it.
King Charles, who also serves as the head of the British armed forces due to his role as the sovereign, is set to acquire eight new military affiliations. Buckingham Palace’s statement highlighted that “His Majesty is a military veteran himself, having trained and served in both the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force.”
These shifts within the military framework coincide with the upcoming first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing next month. Reports in the UK media have suggested that William and Kate will assume prominent roles in the commemorations. A source within the Waleses’ office confirmed to The Daily Beast that there is likely to be some form of acknowledgment of the anniversary, although precise details have yet to be finalized.