The King has granted a number of new military appointments to working members of the royal family, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.
The Palace said that the new roles "will continue to reflect the close relationship between the Armed Forces and the Royal Family in His Majesty's reign".
Queen Camilla is now patron of The Royal Army Chaplains’ Department, a role previously held by the late Queen Elizabeth II. The late Queen's grandfather King George V granted the prefix 'Royal' to the department in 1919.
It comes after Camilla was announced as the new Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Lancers in June. It was a particularly poignant appointment as the Queen's father, the late Major Bruce Shand, served with the 12th Lancers during World War II.
Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales has taken on the roles of Colonel-in-Chief of the Mercian Regiment and The Army Air Corps. Prince William, who served as an RAF Search and Rescue Pilot, has also been appointed Royal Honorary Air Commodore, RAF Valley.
The Princess of Wales is now Commodore-in-Chief of Fleet Air Arm, a role that was relinquished by the Duke of York in 2022. Kate has also been appointed as Colonel-in-Chief of the 1st Queen’s Dragoon Guards, as well as Royal Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Coningsby, taking over from her husband William.
The Princess of Wales's existing military appointments include Colonel of Irish Guards and Royal Honorary Air Commodore of the Air Cadets. See Kate marking St Patrick's Day for the first time in her role as Colonel of the Irish Guards in the clip below...
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
Buckingham Palace also announced a coveted new role for Princess Anne, saying: "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."
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Meanwhile, the Duke of Edinburgh is now Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Dragoon Guards and The Queen's Royal Hussars. The Duchess of Edinburgh has been appointed Royal Colonel of The Queen's Own Yeomanry and Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Irish Regiment – a position previously held by Prince Andrew.
The late Queen's cousins, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester have also been handed new roles. The Duke is now Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, a position that was held by the late Queen up until her death. The Duchess previously held the role of Deputy, but she is now Colonel-in-Chief of the Adjutant General's Corps.
The announcements come just weeks before the anniversary of the late Queen Elizabeth's passing on 8 September, which the King and Queen are expected to mark privately.