King Charles has bestowed a new military honour on Prince William, showing their bond is close as relations remain strained with Prince Harry, a historian claims.
The Prince of Wales was last week promoted to Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps, Prince Harry’s former regiment. The King, 75, held this title for 32 years and is now passing it down to his eldest son.
Dr Carolyn Harris, a historian at the University of Toronto, discussed the move with CBC News, commenting: “Events such as this particular ceremony emphasise continuity between monarch and the heir to the throne even though relations with Prince Harry remain strained.”
According to Dr Harris, this shows Charles’s reign is undergoing a period of transition, which includes transfer of military patronages and titles, which didn’t come for his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, until the end of her seven decade stay on the throne.
She said: “Now there’s been a different approach in King Charles III’s reign towards a strong emphasis on the monarch and the heir to the throne.”
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In an emotional speech at Middle Wallop, Hampshire on May 13, Charles told veterans, families and staff that today’s engagement was a bittersweet moment for him after “32 years of knowing you all and admiring all your many activities and achievements throughout the time that I was lucky enough to be Colonel in Chief of the Army air corps.”
King Charles said: “All I can say is that having had the pleasure of knowing you so long, I do hope that you go from strength to strength in the future with the Prince of Wales as your new Colonel-in-Chief, the great thing is that he’s a great pilot indeed, so that’s encouraging.”