Sophie, Countess of Wessex, is said to be "extremely honoured" to have been given one of the Duke of Edinburgh's former military roles.
Sophie, Countess of Wessex has a new military role (c) Twitter
The countess - who is married to Prince Edward - has been appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers (REME) by Queen Elizabeth, who is head of the armed forces, and met with Master General Lieutenant General Paul Jaques and Colonel Jason Phillips to formally receive the title on Wednesday (30.03.22).
Lt. Gen Jaques is "looking forward" to Sophie's involvement with the unit, which is responsible for maintaining all the equipment the Army operates, including tanks, helicopters, communications equipment and weaponry.
He said: “I am very much looking forward to welcoming the Countess to the home of the Corps in MoD Lyneham to meet more of our amazing soldiers, see the technical training facilities and discuss the Corps’ support to all those in the Reme family - cadets, regular soldiers, reserve soldiers, veterans and their families.
“His Royal Highness Prince Philip served for more than 50 years as Colonel-in-Chief of the Corps of REME, and always took a very keen interest in the Corps’ business.
“We look forward to a long and happy association with the Countess, building on the legacy that the late Duke of Edinburgh leaves, in ‘keeping the punch in the Army’s fist’.”
Prince Philip - who died last April aged 99 - held the honorary title for over 50 years, having taken it on in 1969, and the royal family said the Corps combined his "enduring support" for the military with his "keen interest" in engineering.
The official Twitter account for the royals wrote: "The Countess of Wessex has been named as the new Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers (REME)
"For over 50 years, the role was held by The Duke of Edinburgh, and the Corps combined his enduring support of the Forces, and keen interest in engineering.
"Last week, during a visit to the headquarters of 5th Battalion The Rifles, Sophie met Reme soldiers currently attached to the Battalion, to hear about their work supporting the unit.(sic)"
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