In a somewhat controversial move, King Charles III has officially passed the Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps role to Prince William.
The father and son pair were all smiles at the Army Aviation Centre on Monday, May 13, in Stockbridge, Hampshire, England. Various photographs from the event showed Charles, 75, shaking hands and walking with members of the air corps. The king also posed and chatted with some children who came out to the airstrip.
At one point, Charles was joined by William, 41, and the two posed in front of a military helicopter. The king handed his son the air corps’ belt and light blue beret to signify his new role. The royal family members then posed for photos with members of the military. Charles and William appeared to be in good spirits at the event — despite the family’s ongoing health crisis — as they were laughing while walking together.
William’s new Colonel-in-Chief role has been seen as a snub to Prince Harry, who likely would have been bestowed the honor had he not departed from the royal family in 2020 with wife Meghan Markle.
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Royal expert Christopher Andersen went the extra mile, claiming that William’s new title is a “tremendous insult” to Harry, 39, especially after the Duke of Sussex’s recent U.K. trip. (Harry traveled to the U.K. last week to celebrate 10 years of the Invictus Games and didn’t meet with any members of the royal family — not for lack of trying.)
“This was a double whammy,” Anderson told Us Weekly. “Not only did the King refuse to meet Harry, but he took the opportunity to say, ‘By the way, William, I’m giving you one of the titles.’ The Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Air Corps that had belonged to Harry, and we’re going to make a big deal out of it.”
Buckingham Palace announced William’s new role the same day they released a statement confirming that Charles would not meet with Harry as the king’s youngest son returned to the U.K. (A report from the Times on Sunday, May 12, claimed that Charles did offer Harry a place to stay during his recent trip, but the Duke of Sussex declined.)
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Despite the continued snubs, Andersen considers Harry “one of the great assets of the royal family,” especially now that both Charles and Princess Kate Middleton are both undergoing treatment for cancer.
“All he wants to do is have some sort of part-time role, take up some of the slack here now that both the King and the Princess of Wales are battling cancer,” Anderson added. “They do not want to have anything to do with Harry or Meghan, and it bothers me to see this because it seems such a missed opportunity for them to use this crisis.
