The Princess of Wales has been announced by Buckingham Palace as the new Royal Honorary Air Commodore. Photo / Getty Images
The Princess of Wales has been announced by Buckingham Palace as the new Royal Honorary Air Commodore. Photo / Getty Images
The Princess of Wales has taken on her first Royal Air Force (RAF) role in a move which honours her grandfather’s years of service.
She has been announced by Buckingham Palace as the new Royal Honorary Air Commodore for RAF Coningsby in her first senior role for the RAF.
The Princess’s new role is a nod to her grandfather, Captain Peter Middleton, who was an RAF pilot who served during World War II and who flew alongside the late Prince Philip during his two-month flying tour of South America in 1962.
The news comes amid the wider announcement of a reshuffle of military appointments in the royal family following the King’s ascension to the throne last September.
The new senior RAF role marks the first time the Princess will be associated with an operational front-line RAF unit, defence sources confirmed to The Telegraph.
Her existing military appointment associated with the RAF includes the Royal Honorary Air Commodore of the Air Cadets, who the source said are “not part of the regular military”.
The new more senior position with the Air Force was an honorary role previously held by the late Princess Margaret and then the Princess of Wales’s husband, Prince William, from 2008.
The defence source also explained what the new title will entail for the Princess, saying: “It is likely she will visit relatively frequently, probably fly with us, attend significant functions, parades and events, meet the people, get involved with the base community, invite peers to events she is involved with elsewhere, maybe support base charity work etc.”
Kate was also appointed as Colonel-in-Chief of 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards and as the new Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm, which is a Royal Navy position that was previously held by Prince Andrew.
The Duke of York was stripped of all of his military titles in January last year in an attempt to protect the royal family from the fallout of sexual abuse allegations.
It came after he was forced to “step down” from royal duties, give up his HRH title, and was followed by events that would eventually lead to him paying a settlement of around £12 million in a civil sex abuse case without admitting wrongdoing.
Another of the Duke’s former military titles that has been newly reallocated includes the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Irish Regiment, which now belongs to the Duchess of Edinburgh.
It was announced last December that Queen Camilla would take over Prince Andrew’s coveted Colonel of the Grenadier Guards honorary title and she was also recently announced as the new Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Lancers, a title that also once belonged to Andrew.
The Queen’s father, the late Major Bruce Shand, had a long association with the British Armed Forces and served with the 12th Lancers during World War II.
The Queen is also the new patron of the Royal Army Chaplains’ Department, a position previously held by the late Elizabeth II.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at the formal naming ceremony for HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Navy's biggest ever ship. Photo / Getty Images
As part of the reshuffle of royal appointments, the King has now taken over eight of his mother’s former honorary posts himself, including Sponsor of the Royal Navy’s warship HMS Queen Elizabeth.
In July 2014, Queen Elizabeth II travelled to Rosyth to lead the official naming ceremony of the £3.2 billion (NZD$6.7 billion) aircraft carrier, the largest and most powerful vessel ever built by the Royal Navy.
The event saw Queen Elizabeth press a button that smashed a bottle of Islay malt whisky on the vessel’s bow, breaking with the tradition of smashing a bottle of champagne onto the hull.
At the warship’s commissioning in 2017, Queen Elizabeth said: “As the daughter, wife and mother of naval officers, I recognise the unique demands our nation asks of you. I will always value my special link with HMS Queen Elizabeth, her ship’s company and their families.”
As sponsor of the vessel, the King will be involved with the warship and its crew throughout the duration of its service with the Navy. His Majesty will be invited to attend functions and celebrations for the vessel, including its departure from and arrival back from deployments.
It was previously said by the palace that the royal sponsor has an “enduring personal connection” with their ship.
Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales has added Colonel-in-Chief of the Mercian Regiment, Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps and Royal Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Valley to his growing list of military commitments.
He previously spent three years at RAF Valley in Anglesey, north Wales, as an RAF search and rescue pilot.
Buckingham Palace said: “Following His Majesty’s accession, the King is pleased to announce further military appointments for working members of the royal family.
“The new appointments will continue to reflect the close relationship between the Armed Forces and the Royal family in His Majesty’s reign.”
The roles highlight the key members of the working royal family who are supporting the King in his duties.
