King Charles III has bestowed new honorary military titles on Princess of Wales Kate Middleton and Queen Consort Camilla.
Everyone is already preparing for what will be the traditional parade and military ceremony celebrating the monarch’s birthday on June 17: the Trooping the Colour, which will be Charles’ first as sovereign.
New title for Kate Middleton
It is expected that, for this special occasion the always elegant Princess of Wales, will wear green as her new title is: colonel of the Irish Guards.
This Irish infantry regiment has been part of the British Royal Guard since Victoria’s reign. Prince William already held this role before his wife. On becoming Prince of Wales, he inherited the title of colonel of the Welsh Guards, the Welsh equivalent of the Irish Regiment. Since 1975, all the princes of Wales have held this title. This year Kate and William met with the Irish Guards in England for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
New title for Camilla Parker
As for Camilla, she has taken on a role that was originally to go to Prince Andrew, specifically the Queen consort’s new title is Colonel Commander-in-Chief of the Grenadier Guards. Known for their red uniforms and their bulky, furry caps, they form part of the Buckingham Palace escort and are one of the oldest infantry regiments of the British crown army.
It should be noted that this is the highest rank that can be reached in a regiment by a member of the British royal family.
The previous holder of this position was Queen Elizabeth II. However, it was previously held by Prince Andrew, who retained it until January 2022, when he was stripped of his military titles following his involvement in the scandal of U.S. billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.