Supporting the military and service personnel is a key duty for members of the Royal Family, so we’ve taken a look at the military appointments held by The Princess of Wales and her relationship with the military.
Image Licensed to i-Images Picture Agency. 08/03/2023. Salisbury, United Kingdom. Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, during a visit with the 1st Battalion Irish guards on Salisbury Plain, United Kingdom. During the visit she watched a medical training and casualty exercise. Picture by i-Images / Pool
The Princess of Wales’ military appointments include:
– Honorary Canadian Ranger – held since July 2011.
– Honorary Air Commandant, Royal Air Force Air Cadets – held since December 2015. The late Duke of Edinburgh passed on this title to Catherine, after 63 years as Air Commodore-in-Chief. This was her first royal role with an official link to the armed forces.
– Royal Honorary Air Commodore, RAF Coningsby – held since August 2023. This appointment will hold a special link to The Princess and her family as her grandfather Captain Peter Middleton served in the Royal Air Force. It has also been reported that Captain Middleton worked with Prince Philip and flew as a co-pilot with him during an tour of South America in 1962.
The Princess of Wales gives her first speech as colonel of the Irish Guards on St Patrick’s Day
– Lady Sponsor, HMS Glasgow – held since June 2021. She met personnel from HMS Glasgow for the first time in 2022 at Windsor Castle. During the visit, the ship’s company presented Catherine with an HMS Glasgow ship’s crest and challenge coin.
– Colonel, Irish Guards – held since December 2022. This appointment was previously held by Prince William, who was the regiment’s Colonel from February 2011 to December 2022. In early March 2023, Catherine visited to the 1st Battalion Irish Guards on Salisbury Plain in her first engagement as Colonel of the Guards. In March 2023, The Prince of Wales, outgoing Colonel, Irish Guards, was accompanied by The Princess of Wales, incoming Colonel, to visit the Irish Guards at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Aldershot. Her Royal Highness presented the traditional sprigs of shamrock to the Officers and Guardsmen, as well as presenting it to the Irish Wolf Hound regimental mascot, Seamus.
HRH The Princess of Wales arrives at a military display stand in the passenger seat of a Jackal Armoured vehicle. (Defence Imagery).
– Commodore-in-Chief, Fleet Air Arm – held since August 2023. Catherine’s first engagement as Commodore-in-Chief was in September when she spent three hours at RNAS Yeoviltion, where she received an introduction to naval aviation including the Yeovilton’s control tower and was also introduced to Royal Navy air traffic controllers who are trained to operate at sea and at shore bases.
– Colonel-in-Chief, 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards – held since August 2023. The Princess conducted her first engagement as the regiment’s new Colonel-in-Chief in November 2023, where she learnt about the opportunity to learn about elements of operational life and met families of the personnel to hear about their experiences and the welfare support that is offered by the Regiment.
Catherine and Camilla watched from the balcony of the Foreign Office
Since marrying Prince William in 2011, The Princess of Wales has attended every Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph.
She is seen standing on the balcony of the Foreign Office alongside other member of the Royal Family. From there, she watches The King, The Prince of Wales, The Princess of Wales and equerries lay wreaths of remembrance at the Cenotaph.
The Princess has also conducted overseas engagements in remembering those who have lost their lives in conflict.
