Camouflaged against the valley of the Warcop Training Area, the Duchess of Edinburgh jas joined one of her regiments for a training exercise.
Sophie, Colonel-in-Chief of The Queen’s Own Yeomanry, joined the reservists on an away day in Cumbria. After meeting with the regiment’s leaders and members of the reserves, she watched as the reservists undertook a training exercise.
The Queen’s Own Yeomanry is a light armoured reconnaissance unit that gathers intelligence on enemy and environment. The regiment achieves this through “high-tech weaponry, thermal imaging equipment, and the latest digital battlefield communications systems.”
The Queen’s Own Yeomanry has been operational from 1971 and Sophie has been its Royal Colonel since 2023.
In August 2023, King Charles bestowed two military appointments upon his sister-in-law: this Royal Colonelcy and the position of Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Irish Regiment.
Sophie is also Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Corps of Army Music, Royal Colonel of the 5th Battalion The Rifles, Honorary Air Commodore of Royal Air Force Wittering, Colonel-in-Chief of the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, and Deputy Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Army Medical Service.
The Duchess of Edinburgh hosts an annual military competition for her units called the Duchess of Edinburgh Cup—previously the Countess of Wessex Cup—that sees competitors undertake skill-testing challenges for physical and mental prowess.
