King follows in his late mother's footsteps with new military roles including Sponsor of HMS Queen Elizabeth

The King has assumed eight of Queen Elizabeth II's military roles in a reshuffle of military appointments, as the anniversary of the late Queen's death approaches.

Among the roles, Charles has become the Sponsor of Royal Navy flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth, Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, and Air Commodore-in-Chief of the RAF Regiment.

King Charles, who served in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force during the 1970s, is the military's Commander-in-Chief.

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A statement from Buckingham Palace said: "Following His Majesty's accession, the King is pleased to announce further military appointments for working members of the Royal Family.

"The new appointments will continue to reflect the close relationship between the Armed Forces and the Royal Family in His Majesty's reign."

The other roles include Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards; Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Tank Regiment; Captain General of The Royal Artillery; Captain General of The Honourable Royal Artillery; Royal Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Marham.

Brigadier GJ Thompson, Colonel Commandant Royal Tank Regiment, commented on the appointment on social media, saying: "It is my privilege to inform you that today, His Majesty the King announced that he will adopt the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Tank Regiment from the late Queen.

"His adoption is a great honour for the regiment in an era of a smaller working Royal Family. It continues the unbroken tradition of the Sovereign as our Colonel-in-Chief, a tradition established by King George V. #fearnaught #KingCharlesIII."

In 1971, the then Prince Charles spent time training at RAF Cranwell on the full jet training course as a flight lieutenant. 

Air Chief Marshal (ret’d) Sir Richard Johns, who was his instructor, said: "Prince Charles had a natural ability and picked things up very quickly."

"He was an easy student to teach, and I was very impressed by not just his focus and concentration but his impeccable determination to succeed," he told the RAF website.  

"He was not going to fail, it was as simple as that.”

Following his passing out of RAF Cranwell, the young royal commenced his career in the Royal Navy like his forefathers.

Charles' active naval career finished in December 1976 after rising to become a commander.

In October 2022, the Queen's eldest son took over as Captain General of the Royal Marines, the ceremonial head of the corps, taking over from the Duke of Sussex.

Prince Harry held the title from 2017 to February 2021, when he and his wife, Meghan, stepped down as senior Royals.

In the latest reshuffle of military appointments, there are three extra roles each for the Prince and Princess of Wales.

On X, formerly Twitter, the couple posted: "An honour to serve our new military affiliations across the @royalnavy @britisharmy and @RoyalAirForce."