King Charles and Prince William carry out first joint engagement since 2022

After more than 30 years as Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps, the King has ceremonially handed over his light blue beret to the Prince of Wales.

The King and Prince of Wales marked their first joint public engagement since 2022 in some style; the elder arriving by an Apache helicopter and the younger departing in the front seat.

Prince William, who arrived in a civilian suit and changed into combat uniform, put a hand on his father’s back, sharing a smile as they walked across the tarmac.

They wore matching ties, the blue and red stripes of the Army Air Corps (AAC), as they posed for an official photograph – the Prince a head taller than the King. As messages go, it was unmistakable: unity, continuity, and father and son together in public after a testing time for the Royal family.

No one was heard to mention the Duke of Sussex, whose recent three-day visit to Britain caused a flurry of headlines about the lack of meeting with his father. The AAC is the Duke’s old unit, in which he served as an Apache helicopter commander and co-pilot gunner during his second tour to Afghanistan in 2012. 

In a speech at the handover, at the Army Aviation Centre in Middle Wallop, Hampshire, the King said the occasion was one of “great joy”, “tinged with great sadness” at ending his own time with them.

“I do hope you’ll go from strength to strength in the future with the Prince of Wales as your new Colonel-in-Chief,” he said.

“The great thing is he’s a very good pilot indeed – so that’s encouraging.”

The event is part of the King’s gradual return to public engagements, as he continues his cancer treatment, and the Prince of Wales resumes his more regular schedule of engagements after the Princess’ own illness and private recovery.

The last official public engagement the King and Prince William undertook as a duo was shortly after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, when they met members of the public during a walkabout amongst the crowds.

Father and son have attended family engagements and semi-public appearances together since then, including the Coronation and Christmas at Sandringham, but do not regularly overlap in the line of duty. This joint engagement has been widely interpreted as a show of unity.

It was carefully designed, with the King arriving first – before the Prince entered for a short handover and stayed on by himself to get acquainted with aircrew, supporting ground staff, and their operational aircraft.

During his solo part of the engagement, the King spent time with military personnel and their families and took a short walkabout with children from Middle Wallop School – most of whom have parents serving.

Inside the museum, the 75-year-old spoke to veterans including Aaron Mapplebeck – with the two swapping notes about cancer treatment after Mr Mapplebeck had undergone nine weeks of chemotherapy himself. The King is said to have remarked upon “loss of taste”, a subject he raised several times during a visit to a cancer hospital several weeks ago.

He went on to unveil a plaque to commemorate the arrival of the first Apache AH Mk1 to be installed in a UK museum. The aircraft is one of two that carried troops on their stub wings in the Battle of Jugroom Fort, Afghanistan, in 2007.

The King, who had signed the visitors book in a final gesture, joined his son at the Middle Wallop Control Tower, across the airfield, where he handed over the AAC beret and stable belt to Prince William, in a short ceremony.

The Prince became the new Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps after the King’s accession and his appointment was formally announced in August 2023. The role had been held by the King, when he was Prince of Wales, for more than 30 years.

Prince William served in the Army as a Platoon Commander in The Blues and Royals, before completing flying training in the Royal Air Force. He then went on to work as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot, spending three years at RAF Valley in Anglesey, Wales.

At Middle Wallop, the Prince of Wales received a briefing on the AAC’s work, before changing into combat uniform to inspect training and operational aircraft. He spent time talking to servicemen and women, appearing to be taken aback when he was introduced to two Second Lieutenants who were there on their first day with the AAC.

“I’m jealous of you guys starting here,” he told them.

To mark his first engagement as Colonel-in-Chief, the prince was presented with a box of gifts: three wooden helicopters for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, an AAC tartan wrap for the Princess of Wales and a scarf for himself.

The Prince received a briefing ahead of what the palace described as a “capability flight” to “deepen his understanding of the capabilities of the equipment and to learn more about the people that fly and support it. In grey skies and rain, he left as a front seat passenger in the two-manned Apache helicopter.