King Charles follows in Queen's footsteps to become Colonel-in-Chief of Royal Engineers
King Charles III has been announced as Colonel-in-Chief of the Corps of Royal Engineers.
The rank was previously held by his mother, the late Queen, and it has now been passed to the King, Buckingham Palace announced.
Chief Royal Engineer, Lieutenant General Sir Tyrone Urch, said: "I am absolutely delighted that His Majesty the King has agreed to be our new Colonel-in-Chief."
Lt Gen Urch, who had an audience with the King at the Palace two weeks ago, went on: "This is a great honour and continues a long-standing tradition started in 1904 by His Majesty King Edward VII.
"This wonderful news will inspire the entire Sapper family worldwide."
Commonly known as the Sappers, the corps was founded in 1716 and gained the Royal prefix in 1787. The Engineers are multi-skilled soldiers and combat engineers who provide global military engineering and technical support to the Armed Forces and their allies.
Elizabeth II took on the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Engineers following her accession to the throne in 1952 and held the role for 70 years until her death last September.
During his upcoming state visit to Germany, King Charles will meet with representatives from the Corps of the Royal Engineers to view a demonstration of a wide river pontoon bridging by 23 Amphibious Engineer Squadron.
The Corps of Royal Engineers has recently been deployed to Estonia, Poland, and Cyprus. Along with the Queen's Gurkha Engineers, they will support the King's Coronation on 6 May.
The Corps of Royal Engineers tweeted: "We are delighted to share that His Majesty The King has been announced as our new Colonel-in-Chief! What an honour for all of our #SapperFamilly across the world."
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