His Majesty has made his eldest son and heir Colonel-in-Chief of The Army Air Corps at a ceremony at the Army Aviation Centre in Middle Wallop, Hampshire this afternoon.
King Charles today held his first joint engagement with Prince William since 2022 and gave him command of Prince Harry 's former Army regiment just as the Sussexes landed in the UK from Nigeria .
But in a speech in front of an Apache helicopter today, Charles did not mention Harry, who flew the same aircraft in Afghanistan during two tours of duty. Instead he said William was a 'very good pilot indeed' - before sparking laughter by saying: 'So that's encouraging'. It has reportedly led to briefing and counter-briefing on both sides about why their paths never crossed. One source close to the King redeployed the famous phrase coined by the Queen about Harry and Meghan after Megxit, that 'recollections may vary', after a Sussex source told The Sunday Times: 'I was fully expecting them to meet. I know that's what he wanted to happen'.
'I can't imagine that request fell through the gaps. Even if they didn't get a request, which I don't believe, could His Majesty not have made a request to see his son? It was widely known he was coming', one insider said. 'While he was hardly going to roll out the red carpet the moment this Invictus trip was announced, with doctors advising him to focus on his treatment and recovery, the idea that he refused to find space in his diarywell, let's say recollections may vary once again.'
Buckingham Palace announced last week that the King would have a joint engagement with William to pass on the role he held for 31 years to his eldest son. It comes on the same day the estranged Duke of Sussex will jet back from his 'quasi-royal' tour in Nigeria with his wife Meghan Markle Following much speculation over whether the Duke would pop in to visit his father, who he last saw in February following his shocking diagnosis, Harry's spokesperson confirmed there was no time for a reunion.
One royal commentator has claimed Prince Harry could have been in line for the role of Colonel-in-Chief of The Army Air Corps before quitting as a working royal. Pictured: Harry in his apache helicopter in Afghanistan in 2012 The couple, visiting Nigeria together for the first time, stood on a red carpet and applauded and gasped as they were greeted with a traditional dance.
The couple arrived last Friday in the capital Abuja where they visited a school to open an event on mental health for students there in a trip that also saw the prince meet wounded Nigerian soldiers. Mr Sanwo-Olu presented Harry and Meghan with a statue of an Eyo masquerade - which represents the spirits of the dead
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