King Charles makes no mention of Prince Harry as Prince William is made colonel-in-chief of Harry’s former squadron
Deep-seated tensions between King Charles and Prince Harry are exposed as the King fails to mention Harry, while praising his heir and appointing William as commander of Harry’s old squadron.
King Charles has relinquished his role as army air corps Colonel-in-Chief to the Prince of Wales telling airmen how his son was “a very good pilot indeed’’.
But the extensive rift with his other son, Prince Harry, who had embarked on a private tour of Nigeria with wife Meghan, was laid bare during the official handover at the Army Aviation Centre in Middle Wallop, Hampshire on Monday.
The King didn’t mention Harry, even though Harry had flown with the Army Air Corps as an Apache co-pilot and gunner in Afghanistan.
William’s new role means he now commands Harry’s old squadron, the 662 squadron.
Charles, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, revealed he has lost his sense of taste during a discussion with a war veteran and cancer survivor Aaron Mappleback.
In the first official joint engagement by the monarch and heir in two years, Prince William accepted the regiment’s beret and stable belt in front of an Apache helicopter.
William, 41, served in the Army as a Platoon Commander in The Blues and Royals. He did his flying training with the Royal Air Force.
The obvious show of the monarchy’s continuity was also a public show of support for William who is also a steadfast arm for his wife Catherine, who is undergoing gruelling cancer treatment at the moment.
During the engagement, Charles, 75, spoke of his admiration for the army’s work in various deployments, having been their colonel-in-chief for more than three decades, and then said: “I do hope you’ll go from strength to strength in the future with the Prince of Wales as your new Colonel-in-Chief. The great thing is he’s a very good pilot indeed, so that’s encouraging. So look after yourselves, and I can’t tell you how proud it has made me to have been involved with you all this time.”
Before the Sussexes bitter exit from royal life, it had been expected that Harry may have taken command of the army air corps, an almost unthinkable proposition now.
It has emerged that the King and Harry, 39, didn’t meet last week when Harry was in London for some Invictus Games celebrations because Harry may have demanded he meet with the King alone and not with Queen Camilla present. There has also been a wariness that Harry has form in going straight to the American media to brief about various private conversations and the timing of his arrival in Britain, may not have been appropriate given he was then about to immediately fly off to Nigeria as a guest of the Nigerian defence force.
Aides have been keen to ensure the Nigerian visit was seen as private and not linked with the royal family in any way.
A spokesperson for Harry had said that the King was “too busy” to meet.
The Nigerian visit was apparently well received in the African country, with Meghan claiming to have 43 per cent Nigerian heritage. However her less than regal dress sense – wearing a light pink long formal back dress with revealing sides to a conservative school was considered a diplomatic disaster. Another dress worn on the same day, featuring long slits and strappy shoulder straps would not have been considered appropriate to be worn by a royal member.
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