Kate Middleton and Prince William are expanding their royal roles yet again.

Nearly a year after they were dubbed the Princess and Prince of Wales by King Charles III following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the royal couple have been given additional titles after a reshuffling of military appointments within the family, according to The Telegraph, citing the Buckingham Palace.

Kate has been appointed the Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm, Colonel-in-Chief of the 1st Queen's Dragoon Guards and Royal Honorary Air Commodore of Royal Air Force Coningsby. Meanwhile, William has been named Colonel-in-Chief, The Mercian Regiment; Colonel-in-Chief, The Army Air Corps; and Royal Honorary Air Commodore, RAF Valley, where he previously spent three years as a search and rescue pilot.

In becoming the new Royal Honorary Air Commodore for RAF Coningsby, Kate lands her first senior role for the Royal Air Force (RAF). However, the title also holds a special connection to her grandfather, Captain Peter Middleton, who flew alongside Queen Elizabeth's late husband Prince Philip during a two-month aerial tour of South America in 1962, according to The Telegraph.

Other royal family members who have received new military titles in the change-up include Queen Camilla, Prince Edward, Princess Anne, Prince Richard, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh and Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester.

Some of the new appointments given once belonged to Prince Andrew, who was stipped of his military affiliations in January 2022 amid a sexual abuse lawsuit against him. (Andrew has denied the sexual assault allegations, and the suit was settled out of court in February 2022.)

Per The Telegraph, his prior role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Irish Regiment has now been reallocated to Edward's wife Sophie, while Camilla inherited his honorary title of Colonel of the Grenadier Guards and the role of Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Lancers.

"Following His Majesty's Accession, The King is pleased to announce further military appointments for working Members of the Royal Family," the palace said in a statement, per People. "The new appointments will continue to reflect the close relationship between the Armed Forces and the Royal Family in His Majesty's reign."

Source:
courtesy of E!ONLINE

by GABRIELLE CHUNG

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