Kate Middletonis adding to her royal résumé.
On Friday, Buckingham Palace andKing Charlesannounced new military appointments for nine members of the royal family including the Princess of Wales. The King,Queen Camilla,Prince William,Prince Edward,Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh,Princess Anne,Prince RichardandBirgitte, the Duchess of Gloucesterhave also been awarded new royal roles. The cohort already held a range of military affiliations, and the update comes a month ahead of King Charles’ first Accession Day.
Chris Jackson/Getty
The last appointment is especially sentimental for Kate, as one of her grandfathers served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) — and reportedly worked withPrince Philip! According toHello!, Captain Peter Middleton flew as a co-pilot with Prince Philip during an aerial tour of South America in 1962.
The Princess of Wales takes over the role as Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm fromPrince Andrew, who held the role until 2022.
Prince William and Kate Middleton at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade at Mons Barracks in March 2023.Getty Images
Getty Images
Like his wife, the palace announced that Prince William has also been awarded three new appointments. The heir to the British throne will now be known as Colonel-in-Chief, The Mercian Regiment; Colonel-in-Chief, The Army Air Corps; and Royal Honorary Air Commodore, RAF Valley — where he previously flew as a pilot.
While King Charles, 74, became Head of the Armed Forces when he acceded to the throne followingQueen Elizabeth’s death in September 2022, he is also taking on more military affiliations. The King is now Sponsor of the HMS Queen Elizabeth, Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Tank Regiment, Captain General of the Royal Artillery, Captain General of the Honourable Artillery Company, Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, Royal Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Marham and Air Commodore-in-Chief of RAF Regiment.
The King may feel especially connected to the HMS Queen Elizabeth and RAF affiliations as he trained and served in both the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force during his time as heir.
His wife, Queen Camilla, becomes patron of The Royal Army Chaplains’ Department. Camilla, 76, also acts as Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Lancers (the regiment her late father, Major Bruce Shand, served with during World War II) as well as Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles andColonel of the Grenadier Guards.
In December, King Charles named his wife to the ceremonial role with the celebrated regiment. The monarch also made Prince William the honorary Colonel of the Welsh Guards and Princess Kate the honorary Colonel of the Irish Guards (taking over the titleafter her husband!) in the same motion.
On Friday, King Charles further awarded new appointments for his only sister and youngest brother. Princess Anne, 72, becomes Deputy Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, “recognising Her Royal Highness’s strong links to Scotland” and existing ties to the regiment as Colonel-in-Chief of the 1st Battalion, The Ranger Regiment and 6th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Princess Anne at Trooping the Colour in June 2023.Chris Jackson/Getty
Meanwhile, Prince Edward, 59, was named Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Dragoon Guards and Colonel-in-Chief of the Queen’s Royal Hussars. It’s been a significant year for Prince Edward, who the Kingnamed the Duke of Edinburghon his birthday in May. The title was created for their father, Prince Philip, when he married then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947, and Edward’s wife, Sophie, became the Duchess of Edinburgh in the same sweep.
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Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester and Prince Richard, Duke of Glouceste at Trooping the Colour in June 2023.Karwai Tang/WireImage
Karwai Tang/WireImage
Rounding out the ranks, Queen Elizabeth’s cousin the Duke of Gloucester is now Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force while his wife Birgitte is Colonel-in-Chief of the Adjutant General’s Corps.
King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Princess Kate, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Sophie, Prince Richard and Birgitte all appeared together on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on the King and Queen’s May coronation day and again for the first Trooping the Colour of his royal reign in June. The appearances created a clear portrait of the working royal family today.
Royals on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at Trooping the Colour in June 2023.ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty
ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty
source: people.com
