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Camilla Parker Bowles Gets Major New Title & Reveals Never-Before-Seen Portrait

Congratulations are in order for Prince Charles’s wife, Camilla Parker Bowles.

This week, the Duchess of Cornwall, 73, received a brand-new royal title: Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles (an infantry regiment of the British Army). In honor of the momentous occasion, Bowles appeared in a virtual video message, where she expressed her excitement about the highly coveted honor.

Clarence House also released a never-before-seen portrait of Bowles. The duchess is wearing a green dress with black trim that was specifically designed to complement the traditional Rifles’ uniform.

It even featured the same buttons as the soldiers’ tunics, which are adorned with bugles. (Not only is the horn considered to be the cap badge of The Rifles, but it’s also worn by every active Rifleman.)

Bowles completed the look with a silver brooch, which holds a special place in her heart. The accessory was given to her by General Sir Patrick Sanders (AKA Colonel Commandant of The Rifles).

We’re not totally surprised by Bowles’s new title, since Prince Philip previously resigned from the role. The duchess paid tribute to her father-in-law during the video message, saying, “I must begin by paying tribute to my predecessor, my dear father-in-law, His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, who, having been Colonel-in-Chief of the successive regiments that have made up The Rifles since 1953, has set the bar incredibly high.”

Serious question: Is there a limit to how many royal titles one can obtain? Because it seems like an ongoing honor.



greta

Senior Editor

Greta Heggeness is a California-based editor at PureWow and has been writing about entertainment since 2015. She covers everything from awards shows to exclusive celebrity...