King Charles III has assumed an honorary military title last held by his younger son Prince Harry. “It is with the utmost pleasure that I accept the role of your Captain General,” the monarch wrote in a letter to the Royal Marines published on Friday. The announcement fell on the 358th anniversary of the British Marines, founded in 1664 by King Charles II.
The new monarch had served in the Navy during his military training in the 1970s. “I am extremely proud to be following in the footsteps of so many members of my family who have deeply admired this role over the past three and a half centuries,” Charles said.
Harry, who served in the British Armed Forces for ten years and served twice in Afghanistan, inherited the title of Captain General from his grandfather, Prince Philip, in December 2017. He was forced to resign when he gave up all royal duties in February 2021 after moving to the United States. Since then there had been repeated speculation as to who would take on his honorary military posts.
