Armed Services
Armed Services
The Duchess supports the work of the British Armed Services both in the United Kingdom and abroad. Her Royal Highness has her own military appointments and accompanies The Prince on the majority of his visits to the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.
Her Royal Highness is Royal Colonel of the 4th Battalion The Rifles, Commodore-in-Chief of Naval Medical Services, Royal Navy, Lady Sponsor of HMS Astute and Honorary Air Commodore of both RAF Leeming and RAF Halton.
In December 2007, The Duchess presented returning soldiers from 4th Battalion the Rifles with operational medals at Bulford Camp in Wiltshire. Click here to read the story. Her Royal Highness paid tribute to her regiment and their families in a speech.
The Duchess paid her first visit to the battalion in February 2007 at its barracks in Bulford, Wiltshire prior to its deployment to Iraq. The Duchess went for an impromptu ride in a newly-modified Bulldog armoured personnel carrier, before having lunch with some of the soldiers and their families.
In September 2007, Her Royal Highness visited the Institute of Naval Medicine in her first engagement as Commodore-in-Chief of Royal Naval Medical Services and met a team of submariners. Click here to read the story.
In addition to this, The Duchess of Cornwall has met a wide variety of current and former military personnel in the UK and overseas. In 2007 Her Royal Highness met British and Commonwealth Airforce personnel at the Al Udeid Airbase in Qatar, and on the way back from their tour of the Gulf, Their Royal Highnesses stopped off to celebrate St David's Day with the Welsh guards stationed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Her Royal Highness also attends ceremonial occasions including the 90th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme and more regular occasions such as the Remembrance Service at the Cenotaph each year in November.
Her Royal Highness is a member of organisations related to the military. The Duchess is Patron and an Honorary Member of the Desert Rats Association. Her father, Major Bruce Shand, fought with the Desert Rats in the Second World War before he was captured during the Battle of El Alamein. In October 2007, The Duchess of Cornwall marked the 65th anniversary of the Battle of El Alamein by meeting Desert Rats in Thetford Forest, Norfolk. Click here to read the story.
Her Royal Highness is a Life Member of the Royal British Legion Women's Section, of which The Princess Royal is President.
Military appointments
In 2006 The Duchess of Cornwall was appointed to the position of Royal Colonel of the 4th Battalion The Rifles following the reorganisation of the regiments. The Battalion was previously named the 2nd Battalion The Royal Green Jackets with The Queen as Colonel-in-Chief.
The Duchess said she was “delighted and deeply honoured” to receive the appointment. As Royal Colonel Her Royal Highness takes a close interest in the battalion: meeting personnel, receiving regular briefings from the Commanding Officer and writing letters to bereaved families and injured servicemen, often sending a gift to help speed their recovery.
In 2006, The Queen appointed The Duchess of Cornwall to the position of Commodore-in-Chief of Naval Medical Services, Royal Navy.
In June 2007, The Duchess of Cornwall launched the Royal Navy's largest and most powerful submarine, HMS Astute, to the cheers of 10,000 people in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.
in 2008, The Queen has been pleased to approve new Royal Air Force honorary appointments in recognition of the strong links between the Royal Air Force and the Royal Family. The Duchess of Cornwall was appointed Honorary Air Commodore of both RAF Leeming and RAF Halton.
Military appointments and regiments
4th Battalion The Rifles – Royal Colonel
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Naval Medical Services – Commodore-in-Chief
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HMS Astute - Lady Sponsor
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Royal Air Force Leeming - Honorary Air Commodore
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Royal Air Force Halton - Honorary Air Commodore
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