The Royal Family has always has close associations with the military, with honorary positions for many, and actual service for some working Royals. Now, following the accession to the throne of Charles III, further military appointments for working Members of the Royal Family have been announced. The new appointments will continue to reflect the close relationship between the Armed Forces and the Royal Family in His Majesty’s reign.
The King
The King will take on the following military affiliations:
- Sponsor, HMS Queen Elizabeth
- Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
- Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Tank Regiment
- Captain General, The Royal Artillery
- Captain General, The Honourable Artillery Company
- Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Regiment of Scotland
- Royal Honorary Air Commodore, RAF Marham
- Air Commodore-in-Chief, RAF Regiment
The King, as Sovereign, is Head of the Armed Forces. His Majesty is a military veteran himself, having trained and served in both the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force.
The Queen
- Patron, The Royal Army Chaplains’ Department
Her Majesty The Queen has a range of military affiliations, and was recently announced as the new Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Lancers. The Queen’s father, the late Major Bruce Shand, served with the 12th Lancers during World War II. Her Majesty’s other military appointments include Colonel Grenadier Guards and Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles.
The Prince of Wales
- Colonel-in-Chief, The Army Air Corps
- Colonel-in-Chief, The Mercian Regiment
- Royal Honorary Air Commodore, R.A.F. Valley
The Prince of Wales has a strong affiliation with the Armed Forces, having served in the Army as a Platoon Commander in The Blues and Royals, before completing flying training in the Royal Air Force. His Royal Highness served as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot, spending three years at RAF Valley in Anglesey, Wales.
The Princess of Wales
- Commodore-in-Chief, Fleet Air Arm
- Colonel-in-Chief, 1st Queen’s Dragoon Guards
- Royal Honorary Air Commodore, R.A.F. Coningsby
The Princess of Wales’s existing military appointments include Colonel, Irish Guards and Royal Honorary Air Commodore of the Air Cadets. Her Royal Highness is also Sponsor of HMS Glasgow – the first of the Royal Navy’s new Type 26 Frigates which is currently under construction. The Princess’s grandfather served in the Royal Air Force.
The Duke of Edinburgh
- Colonel-in-Chief, The Queen’s Royal Hussars
- Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Dragoon Guards
The Duke of Edinburgh holds a range of military appointments. For twenty years, His Royal Highness has served as Royal Honorary Colonel of The Royal Wessex Yeomanry, whose troops have deployed in support of both The Queen’s Royal Hussars and The Royal Dragoon Guards. His Royal Highness is also Royal Colonel of 2nd Battalion The Rifles, and was recently announced as Colonel-in-Chief of The London Guards.
The Duchess of Edinburgh
- Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Irish Regiment
- Royal Colonel, The Queen’s Own Yeomanry
The Duchess of Edinburgh’s military appointments include Royal Colonel of 5th Battalion The Rifles and Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Wittering. Every year, The Duchess holds an annual competition in which Her Royal Highness’s affiliated regiments from the UK and Canada compete against each other in a series of challenges, to foster cooperation.
The Princess Royal
- Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Regiment of Scotland
The King has been pleased to appoint The Princess Royal Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, recognising Her Royal Highness’s strong links to Scotland and existing links with the Regiment as Colonel-in-Chief of both 1st Battalion The Ranger Regiment (formerly 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland) and 6th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
The Duke of Gloucester
- Colonel-in-Chief, Royal Auxiliary Air Force
The Duke of Gloucester has been Patron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force Foundation since 2012. His Royal Highness’s mother, Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, was Commandant of the Womens’ Auxiliary Air Force from 1939 to 1944.
The Duchess of Gloucester
- Colonel-in-Chief, Adjutant General’s Corps
The Duchess of Gloucester has held the appointment of Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, Adjutant General’s Corps, since 1992.
Other recently announced military appointments include the following:
- Colonel-in-Chief, The Household Division – The King
- Captain General Royal Marines – The King
- Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Engineers – The King
- Colonel Grenadier Guards – The Queen
- Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Lancers – The Queen
- Colonel Welsh Guards – The Prince of Wales
- Colonel Irish Guards – The Princess of Wales
- Colonel London Guards – The Duke of Edinburgh
- Colonel-in-Chief, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers – The Duchess of Edinburgh
- Colonel-in-Chief, Intelligence Corps – The Princess Royal
See also: The Coronation – Official Portraits Released
