King Charles Takes Over as Captain of the Royal Marines

In a surprising move, King Charles has taken over as the next Captain of the Royal Marines, a military role that was previously held by his son, Prince Harry.

This announcement comes just a day after Prince Harry revealed the official release date of his memoir, Spare.

The Royal Marine Commandos are known worldwide as one of the most elite fighting forces.

They are the amphibious troops of the Royal Navy and are deployed across the globe as specialists in combat in extreme climates, serving on the most dangerous operations under the most challenging conditions.

Prince Harry was appointed Captain General of the Royal Marines in December 2017, succeeding his grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh.

However, after a 12-month assessment of the Sussexes' decision to resign as working royals, Harry and Meghan were stripped of their coveted patronages in February 2021, including Harry's formal roles with the military.

Harry had been eager to hold on to his formal links with the UK's armed forces, but he was reportedly saddened and devastated to step down from the role in March 2020.

King Charles' latest move comes today as Buckingham Palace makes an announcement on the 358th anniversary of the founding of the Corps of Royal Marines, which was formed on 28 October 1664, during the reign of King Charles II.

In a personal message to the Royal Marines, the monarch said, “it is the greatest possible pleasure to assume the role of your Captain General.”

The Royal Marines have a distinguished and unparalleled history, both on land and at sea.

The King draws immense inspiration from their courage, determination, self-discipline, and remarkable capacity to endure in the most extreme environments.

He feels greatly honored to become part of the Corps family and very much looks forward to meeting many of them in the near future.

There had previously been speculation about which member of the Royal family would be given the role, with Princess Anne tipped for the position.

Prince William had initially been expected to succeed his brother as Captain General after a Buckingham Palace statement insisted they would be handed to working members of the Royal family.

However, growing tensions between the couple meant making such a move would be seen as unnecessarily provocative.

Instead, Princess Anne was mooted as the most likely candidate due to her being the least controversial choice.

Meanwhile, the King is a Royal Navy veteran and served alongside the Royal Marines on board HMS Hermes as part of the 845 Naval Air Squadron, completing military exercises in the Western Atlantic and the West Indies.

Alongside his new role, he will continue to hold the rank of Admiral of the Fleet of the Royal Navy.

The Palace's announcement of the King's takeover of the new role comes just days after new details were revealed about Prince Harry's provocative new memoir.

Billed as a work of raw, unflinchingly honest, the controversial book will be called Spare, a loaded reference to his position as the younger brother of the heir to the throne.

An initial release date had been penciled in for late 2022 to capitalize on the Christmas market, but the book will not be on the shelves until January 10th, said to be as a mark of respect following the death of the Queen, and it is rumored due to last-minute alterations requested by the Duke.

It is understood that the Royal household has already been warned that the 416-page, 28-pound book is critical of everyone and everything, and they are dreading it.