Camilla takes on Prince Andrew’s disgraced title: the Queen’s consort becomes Colonel in the Grenadier Guards, while the King shakes up the Royals and gives the Princess of Wales prime role in the army
- The Queen Consort is the new Colonel of the Grenadier Guards
- She takes over the position of Duke of York, having lost his military titles
- The shuffle will also result in the Princess of Wales becoming Colonel of Irish Guards
- Buckingham Palace unveiled changes ahead of Trooping the Color next year
The Queen Consort has taken on the role of the disgraced Prince Andrew as Colonel in the Grenadier Guards to shake up senior royal military positions.
The shuffle will also result in the Princess of Wales being promoted to her first role in the Army, taking over from her husband as a Colonel in the Irish Guards.
The Prince of Wales instead becomes a Colonel in the Welsh Guards.
Buckingham Palace announced the changes ahead of next year’s Trooping the Color, which has marked the British sovereign’s official birthday for more than 250 years.
The Queen Consort (pictured) has taken on the role of the disgraced Prince Andrew as Colonel in the Grenadier Guards in a reshuffle of senior royal military positions
Prince Andrew inherited the position of Colonel in the Grenadier Guards from his late father, the Duke of Edinburgh, when he retired in 2017.
The King’s Birthday Parade – Karl’s first – will take place a little later on June 17th. The actual birthday of the king is November 14th.
It will see the Household Division on Horse Guards Parade, with the Monarch attending and taking the salute. There are seven regiments of the senior military unit responsible for performing state ceremonial and public duties.
The reigning monarch usually holds the appointment of colonel of regiments, but each regiment also has a colonel, who is usually either a member of the royal family or a senior officer.
Andrew inherited the position of Colonel in the Grenadier Guards from his late father, the Duke of Edinburgh when he retired from public life in 2017.
One of the oldest and most iconic regiments in the British Army, it was seen as the plum role – and a role that carried particular emotional significance given Philip’s popularity. He served in that role for 42 years and was loved by both grassroots and top executives.
Andrew, who was never as keen on horseback as his siblings, even took riding lessons so he could perform on horseback. But after his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview in 2019, the prince was forced by the Queen to step down from his official royal duties.
The shuffle will also result in the Princess of Wales being promoted to her first role in the Army, taking over from her husband as a Colonel in the Irish Guards.
The Prince of Wales (behind the King) becomes Colonel in the Welsh Guards instead. Buckingham Palace announced the changes ahead of next year’s Trooping the Color, which has marked the British sovereign’s official birthday for more than 250 years
But he was allowed to retain 10 military affiliations, including a colonel in the Grenadier Guards, while he worked to clear his name amid the scandal surrounding his association with US pedophile Jeffery Epstein. He was finally stripped of his ceremonial title earlier this year after deciding to settle a civil lawsuit involving one of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Giuffre, who had also accused him of the assault. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Sources said it was the ultimate humiliation for the former Royal Navy helicopter pilot, who is proud of his connection to the military. Camilla’s appointment to the position was seen as a surprise last night but could be interpreted as a smart move by the king.
As Queen Consort, she is the most senior woman in the royal family, which might give Andrew little to complain about. As Colonel in the Welsh Guards, William will continue to seek to build his ties with the nation.
Kate has long accompanied her husband to the Irish Guards’ St Patrick’s Day parades, handing out shamrock branches – but now she will be the regiment’s colonel herself. However, she should not wear a uniform. Prince Harry is a proud Army veteran and has twice served in Afghanistan.
It would have been expected that he would have become a colonel of a regiment had he not quit as a working king and moved to California with his wife Meghan.