Armed Services
The Prince of Wales is a strong supporter of Armed Services and sees this as one of the most important parts of his role as Heir to the Throne.
The Prince of Wales’s relationship with the Armed Services is based on four themes:
- promoting the role of the Forces within national life, through operational visits and ceremonial duties;
- focusing on the professionalism and excellence of training;
- supporting the welfare of service personnel and their families;
- helping to maintain the history and heritage of the Services through regimental links and veterans groups.
The Prince of Wales currently holds the ranks of Admiral in the Royal Navy, Air Chief Marshal in the Royal Air Force and General in the Army.
He completed five years of active service in the Royal Navy and when he left in 1977 he had been promoted to the rank of Commander. The Prince also gained his wings by passing the Parachute Regiment course.
The Prince attends the Remembrance Service at the Cenotaph and other commemorative events in this country and abroad to pay tribute to those who have fallen during the course of battle. In July 2010 Their Royal Highnesses visited Fromelles in France, to pay tribute to the 250 Frist World War soldiers who were finally reinterred with honours after being found in a mass grave.
In 2009, The Prince and The Duchess spent Remembrance Day in Ottawa to pay tribute to the service of the Canadian Armed Forces.
The Prince is Patron of a number of charities and organisations which help to look after the welfare of soldiers and their families, including the Airborne Forces Security Fund, the War Widows Association of Great Britain, British Forces Foundation, Royal Naval Benevolent Trust and the White Ensign Association.
The Prince has a special relationship with 12 regiments in this country and 10 in the Commonwealth.
The Prince is kept informed of the activities of his regiments and is formally briefed on a regular basis. As Colonel-in-Chief or Royal Colonel, The Prince often visits his regiments on bases in this country and abroad, meeting soldiers and their families.
The Prince of Wales pays frequent visits to injured soldiers at their regimental bases, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham.
Injured personnel will often receive a letter with a bottle of whisky from The Prince to speed their recovery.