Life goes on for the royal family. Buckingham Palace released several updates on Thursday, December 22 — including a new title for Princess Kate.
The 40-year-old Princess of Wales has been appointed by King Charles III as the new honorary Colonel of the Irish Guards. Kate takes over the role from Prince William, who was given the honor by Queen Elizabeth II in February 2011, two months before he and Kate wed.
The Prince of Wales, for his part, is now the Colonel of the Welsh Guards, while Queen Consort Camilla takes over Prince Andrew’s stripped title of Colonel of the Grenadier Guards. (The late queen removed Andrew’s titles in January — eight months before she died at age 96 — amid a sexual assault lawsuit against the Duke of York.)
The title changes came as part of a statement about Charles’ first Trooping of the Colour, a parade that marks the official birthday of the British monarch.
“In 2023, this impressive display of pageantry will take place on Saturday, June 17, by Regiments of the Household Division, on Horse Guards Parade, with HIs Majesty the King attending and taking the salute,” the statement reads.
While Charles, Camilla, William, Kate and other members of the royal family will be in attendance at the parade, there is speculation about whether Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be invited. The parade comes 42 days after Charles’ coronation — another event that is up in the air for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex following the release of their Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan.
In the six-episode series, Harry alleged that he got into a heated argument with his brother and father over his and Meghan’s decision to step back from their roles as working royals in January 2020.
“It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me, and my father say things that just simply weren’t true, and my grandmother quietly sit there, and sort of take it all in,” he recalled. “But you have to understand that — from the family’s perspective — especially from hers, there are ways of doing things, and her ultimate sort of mission, goal, slash responsibility is the institution.”
While Harry noted that the “saddest part” of the situation was the “wedge” between him and William, he acknowledged that he doesn’t think his family will ever agree on the circumstances that led to their departure.
“I’ve had to make peace with the fact that we’re probably never gonna get genuine accountability or a genuine apology. My wife and I, we’re moving on. We’re focused on what’s coming next,” Harry said.
The royal family has yet to officially comment on the series, but according to an insider, William is “disappointed with Harry for portraying him and the [royal] family in a cynical light.”
“William was hoping they could move on after the CBS interview [in March 2021], but Harry airing his dirty laundry has only heightened the conflict between the two brothers and resulted in them taking a step backwards,” the source said.
Another insider told Us that Kate is struggling with the fallout of Harry & Meghan too. “Kate feels hurt and betrayed that Harry would do this to her too, especially as the pair used to be so close,” the source said. “William isn’t planning to give his side of the story or openly retaliate. He’s remaining dignified and is getting on with the job.”
