King Charles handed over the prestigious honour in a special ceremony at the Army Aviation Centre on Monday, but royal fans were surprised Prince Harry had been overlooked by his father
Charles and William are facing a huge backlash
Royal fans have all said the same thing after King Charles’ snub of Prince Harry by in favour of his eldest son, Prince William.
The monarch, who has only just returned to public duties following his cancer diagnosis earlier this year, gave his 41-year-old son the prestigious role of colonel-in-chief of the Army Air Corps during a ceremony at the Army Aviation Centre in Stockbridge on Monday. It was a rare and special occasion, as not only was it unusual for the King and the Prince of Wales to take part in a royal engagement together, but it marked the beginning of William’s reign in the coveted role as he succeeds his father Charles, who became colonel-in-chief of the Army Air Corps 32 years ago.
In an emotional and impromptu speech, Charles heaped praise on his eldest son, as he said the day was “tinged with great sadness after 32 years of knowing you all.” He continued: “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.”
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Charles handed over the honour to William on Monday
However, there was no mention of his youngest son Prince Harry, who had actually served in the Army Air Corps and flew Apache helicopters during two tours of Afghanistan. The role of colonel-in-chief was widely expected to go to the 39-year-old, but after he stepped down as a senior member of the Royal Family in January 2020, he has become estranged from his family, and stripped of his military roles.
Pictures from the event were shared on the official Instagram accounts of the Prince and Princess of Wales, as well as the main Royal Family page, and the post was inundated with furious comments from fans who were upset Harry had been cruelly snubbed by his own father. “And Harry? How you can forget him?” one wrote, as another added: “I think this should have been given to Harry!” One fan commented: “This would have been a nice honorary role for Harry,” while another chimed in: “It’s a shame to punish Harry like this, he who committed himself and fought on the field!”
Harry served in two tours of Afghanistan (
Image:
PA)
“How can anyone respect King Charles and Prince William for their constant public snubs of Harry. It’s really disgusting how he doesn’t get support at all from the Royals. Disgraceful,” another fumed, as one simply posted: “Prince William doesn’t deserve this Harry is the one.” The Duke of Sussex ’s rift with his family was under the spotlight last week, as he returned to the UK for a flying visit ahead of a special ceremony for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. There was growing speculation that Harry would meet with his father while in London, but he took the unusual step of releasing a statement ahead of his arrival, confirming that his father’s busy schedule prevented them from reuniting.
