Prince William and Kate Middleton have received new military appointments from King Charles III, according to an announcement made by Buckingham Palace. Prince William has been appointed as Colonel-in-Chief of The Mercian Regiment, Colonel-in-Chief of The Army Air Corps, and Royal Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Valley, where he previously served as a pilot.

These new appointments make Prince William a leader of his brother Prince Harry's former unit. Meanwhile, Kate Middleton has been named 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.

One of Kate's grandfathers also served in the Royal Air Force, adding emotional meaning to her new military role. Other members of the royal family, including King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince Edward, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Anne, Prince Richard, and Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester, have also received new royal roles.

These new appointments further reflect the close relationship between the Armed Forces and the Royal Family. Notably, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have stepped back from their senior royal roles and relocated to California. Prince Harry had previously served in the Army Air Corps, but his honorary military titles were stripped after he left his royal duties.

The appointments were made just weeks before the death anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II. The King's decision to reshuffle military appointments for working members of the royal family comes ahead of the family's gathering to mark one year without Her Majesty. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were not invited to the gathering, and there has been no outreach to them.

The couple is set to make their first joint European appearance since the Queen's funeral. Despite their rift with the royal family, experts say that King Charles III will not strip Harry and Meghan of their royal titles.