A British Army Regiment Wants Kate Middleton to Take Over as Colonel from Prince Andrew
She would be the first woman appointed Colonel of the Grenadier Guards in nearly 400 years.
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By all accounts Kate Middleton seems like an incredibly kind and competent person—and those winning qualities may have opened the door to a history-making military appointment in the British military.
Many members of the royal family hold military honors, and often serve in the British military themselves. Princes Philip, Charles, William, and Harry all served, and hold military distinctions as well—with the exception of Harry, who was told he had to relinquish his military honors upon stepping away from his royal duties and moving to California with his family.
Prince Andrew recently held nine Colonel-in-Chief military honors, but was forced to hand many of them back to the Queen upon the news that ongoing his legal battles would not be ending any time soon. He’s been accused of sexual abuse from Virginia Giuffre, who claims the events occurred when she was just 17 years old and in connection with Prince Andrew’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. Prince Andrew denies the allegations, but the presiding judge in the civil case recently denied Andrew’s motion to dismiss the charges.
The Queen is currently holding the roles while the decision of who she may appoint to the titles remains unanswered. But according to senior officials within the Grenadier Guards, a regiment of the British Army, Kate Middleton is high on the wish list for those who are actually serving. According to the Times, an unnamed senior official in the Guards said, “From straw polling through the ranks, they would all love it to be Kate. We all admire the way she has fitted in and behaved, she never seems to put a foot wrong.”
It would certainly be a big deal: She would be the first woman appointed to the title in the regiment’s 366-year history. The official continued, “Everything she has taken on she really commits to and we want someone who will really engage with us."
Not only would Kate likely rise to the challenge of a military title, her appointment would signal firmly that the royal family intends to modernize—including making sure women are given more prominent royal duties. The decision of who will receive the title will be announced next week.
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