Yesterday, Prince Charles, as the Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps, helped celebrate their 60th anniversary at Salisbury Cathedral.
Arriving by helicopter, the first-in-line to the British throne was on hand to present the corps with their new military colour.
Prince Charles spoke of the ‘unfaltering support’ that the families of the Army Air Corps provide and he should know, his youngest son, Prince Harry served with them.
Dressed in full-service dress and an Air Corps blue beret, Prince Charles inspected the troops while speaking to many of them.
Speaking to those gathered to help celebrate the milestone, the Prince of Wales said: “As the father of a former Army Air Corps pilot myself, I am very much aware of the mixed emotions of pride and concern involved in your children embarking on helicopter training and operations.
“I have no doubt that it is the unfaltering support, provided by those at home, that allows our soldiers to manage so well when the going gets tough.”
In February 2012, Harry became a a fully operational Apache helicopter pilot with the AAC after completing 18 months of intensive training. Prince Harry served in two tours in Afghanistan on the front lines. First in 2007 as an air controller and again in 2012 after his training with the Army Air Corps. He retired from the Army in 2015.
Prince Charles continued, saying: “Army aviation has evolved continuously and has played a vital role in many of the key operations world-wide.
@RoyalFamily/Twitter
“The campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan have demonstrated the decisive contribution that soldiers in the air can make to the outcome of the land-air battle.”
To top off the successful event, a flypast, which included three of the Apache helicopters, impressed the crowds. Prince Charles was then presented with a replica AAC flag by General Sir Adrian Bradshaw, Colonel Commandant before he left.
