King Charles officially appoints Prince William Colonel-in-Chief of Harry’s old regiment as tensions heat up: PHOTOS

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by Nika Shakhnazarova

King Charles has officially handed over the reins of Prince Harry’s old army unit to heir to the throne Prince William.

The 75-year-old king arrived at the Army Aviation Center in Middle Wallop in southern England on Monday, where he appointed his eldest son as colonel-general of the Army Air Corps.

Charles presented the Prince of Wales, 41, with a prestigious medal that now means he will head the military unit formerly owned by his globe-trotting brother, who served as an Apache helicopter pilot in Afghanistan.

The historic ceremony took place as the Duke of Sussex, 39, left Nigeria after a three-day tour with his wife, Meghan Markle.

Upon his arrival on Monday, Charles received a warm welcome at the military base where royal fans gathered to catch a glimpse of the king and his son.

Charles and William were greeted by a guard of honor and Lieutenant-General Sir Nicholas Burton, Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps, who escorted them to the Military Aviation Museum.

Inside, the monarch unveiled a plaque commemorating the arrival of the first Apache AH Mk.1 aircraft to be installed in a UK museum.

An Apache aircraft carried these forces on its primary wings in the Battle of Gojrum Fort, Afghanistan, in 2007.

After the ceremony, the father-son duo took photos in front of an Apache helicopter with members of the Army Air Corps. William also sat in the front seat of an Apache attack helicopter during their visit.

It is said that military honors would likely have been awarded to Harry had he remained a senior working member of the royal family.

Instead, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex left royal life in 2020 and moved across the pond.

Both William and Harry are trained military pilots, however, Harry personally served in the Army Air Corps for over three years.

As heir to the throne, William was not involved in active conflict during his time in the army.

For his part, Charles has held the position for 31 years, and announced in August last year that William would take over.

Over the weekend, it was reported that the King’s decision to bestow the honor on William left Harry in tears.

Royal expert Tom Quinn said: “King Charles’ announcement… is a real kick to the son who has always felt marginalized and belittled.” woman Saturday. “It is said that he cried when he heard it.”

“What makes it so much worse is that the role is given to the same man who Harry sees as the cause of a lot of his problems, his brother.”

Quinn claimed the announcement was “deliberately” made while Harry was in the UK to show that the royal’s youngest son was “no longer welcome”.