Following the announcement by Buckingham Palace that Prince Harry, Charles’s youngest son, will attend the coronation on May 6th, the King made his first public appearance on Friday.
The 74-year-old monarch observed the 200th Royal Military Academy Sandhurst’s Sovereign’s Parade and gave the receiving Ensigns the new Colors and Sovereign’s Banner.
Charles attended the event in full military regalia and delivered a speech before presenting the prizes, including the Sword of Honour, to the winners.
The King said in his speech, “Speaking as a father of two alumni of this Academy who remembers their passing out parades, I know they will be full of immense pride in witnessing you on parade.”
In order to witness her grandsons Prince William and Prince Harry’s graduation from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the late Queen made two appearances at the Sovereign’s parade that year.
Charles made fun of himself, saying, “I think I have some idea of the challenges which are inherent in military training. I attended – and survived! – two of the other Military Academies 50 years ago.
“I have felt the anxiety, the fatigue, and even the self-doubt, but despite such memories, what stays with you are the lifelong friendships that are formed through shared adversity, and the humor found in the darkest hours of the coldest, wettest nights.”
The Officer Cadets will all hold His Majesty’s Commission as of midnight on the day of the parade, marking the culmination of 44 weeks of rigorous training.
Photo: Getty Images
The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on May 6, Buckingham Palace was pleased to confirm in a statement on Wednesday. The King will then make an appearance.
“Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet will stay in California with the Duchess of Sussex.”
Archie’s fourth birthday falls on the same day as his grandfather’s coronation, which is believed to be a major factor in the decision, even though Meghan’s absence was not explained. Prince George, the eldest grandchild of Charles, has been given a prominent position at the ceremony.
Harry won’t have seen his family in person for the first time since the late Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral in September of last year.
In his memoir, Spare, which was released in January, and in his and Meghan’s Netflix docuseries, The Duke has spoken extensively about his tense relationship with the royal family. Though their fraternal strife is insignificant in comparison to these six heinous royal brother fallouts from British history, he wrote most notably about his fallout with Prince William.
