Prince William Takes On New Role That Was Once Intended for Prince Harry Amid Royal Feud

Prince William was given a high-profile role, once meant for his brother, Prince Harry. William, as Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps, recently visited his younger brother’s former regiment as its leader and spent time with soldiers and their families. His promotion to the role by his father, King Charles, came last year and was considered a controversial move.

William’s visit to the regiments in Wattisham, Suffolk, on Wednesday, June 4, was his first after he was bestowed with the leadership role. The honor was previously reserved for Harry before his royal exit, which also saw the stripping of his military titles.

For the unversed, William is a trained military pilot who, from 2010 to 2013, served with the Royal Air Force’s Search and Rescue Force. He also underwent Air Ambulance Pilot training and worked for East Anglian Air Ambulance for two years before retiring from the role in 2017. On the other hand, Harry trained as an Army Air Corps pilot and served with them during his second tour in Afghanistan, flying Apache helicopters. In 2015, the Duke of Sussex retired from his role and later founded the Invictus Games to uplift the service personnel. Following their respective retirements, the two princes became full-time working royals.

According to a report by People magazine, William was in high spirits upon reaching the base. It marked his first royal duty in a week, which he allegedly spent with his children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. His duties on the base included learning more details about the 4 Regiment Army Air Corps (4 AAC) based in Wattisham. He was briefed on the 664 Squadron’s lessons from their global tours. William also spent time learning how the soldiers of the regiment were adapting to their new attack helicopter, Apache AH-64E. The Prince was initially scheduled to pay a visit to the base in January, but couldn't over poor weather conditions. William was seemingly thrilled with the visit, where he also served sandwiches to service personnel.

On social media, the Prince of Wales shared glimpses of his visit and penned his experience. He wrote, “Proud to visit the Army Air Corps as its Colonel-in-Chief. Great to spend time with the soldiers and their families here at Wattisham Air Base. Thank you for the warm welcome and heartening to see the strength of the regiment’s community. Very impressed by the relentless commitment, physical capability, and mental acuity on display at the combat PT session. An excellent reflection of the Army Air Corps’ readiness and professionalism! A huge thank you to the soldiers and families of the AAC for the warm welcome — and for everything you do.”