Prince William, King Charles’ son, has been given a prominent position with the Army Air Corps.
It is not often that the King and the Prince of Wales participate in the same event; this participation has been a symbolic passing of the baton. Thirty-two years ago, the King assumed command of the Army Air Corps as colonel-in-chief. His eldest son, Prince William, has succeeded him.
The King met Prince William for the official meeting at the Army Aviation Centre after arriving by helicopter for the official transfer of this military rank.
The King, who is still receiving cancer treatment himself, talked to a veteran who had received chemotherapy for testicular cancer at the Hampshire event.
The King described the occasion as “tinged with great sadness after 32 years of knowing you all” in an impromptu speech. After expressing his “immense admiration” for the Army Air Corps’ efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, he backed his oldest son and heir.
“I sincerely hope that, with the Prince of Wales serving as your new colonel-in-chief, you’ll continue to grow and prosper. The best part is that he is an extremely skilled pilot. That’s optimistic, then,” the King remarked.
After serving three years at RAF Valley in Anglesey, Prince William was a search and rescue pilot in the Royal Air Force. Images of his past two visits to the Army Air Corps, in 2008 and 1999, were shared by Kensington Palace ahead of Monday’s handover, with the comment, “Time flies”.
The Prince of Wales met the Army Air Corps for the first time later that day, when he was given an overview of the organization’s activities and given a tour of both training and operating aircraft.
