King Charles Reveals ‘Great Joy’ and ‘Great Sadness’ in Emotional Personal Message

As King Charles steps down as the Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps (a position the 75-year-old monarch has held for 32 years, btw), His Majesty also wanted to take a moment to share a special message to the active duty soldiers, veterans and their families. 

Before His Majesty handed over the role (which was originally intended to be given to Prince Harry) to his eldest son, Prince William, the senior royal met with the serving members of the Army Air Corps at the Army Aviation Centre in Middle Wallop.

An array of photos taken during the event were posted on the official royal family’s Instagram page. In the first slide, King Charles is candidly talking to an active duty member and his family. Meanwhile, the fourth slide features a snap of the king greeting young royal fans standing outside of the military facility with a smile. 

In the caption, King Charles revealed how much he is going to miss being the Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps. “Let me just say what a great joy it is to be with you even briefly on this occasion but also it is tinged with great sadness after 32 years of knowing you all, admiring your many activities and achievements through the time that I’ve been lucky enough to be Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps,” the king said. 

As I mentioned before, His Royal Highness personally met with active duty soldiers, veterans and their families before heading to a joint event with Prince William to pass along the role. A striking photo taken during the event showed the king proudly handing over the official hat of the Army Air Corps to his son while they both stood in front of a helicopter.