King Charles hops in a battle tank after ‘withdrawing’ Prince Harry’s Palace invite
King Charles was photographed riding in a British Army tank during his official visit to the Royal Tank Regiment in Dorset, where he also presented medals to soldiers on parade
King Charles has been snapped taking the controls of a British Army tank(Image: Getty)
King Charles has been snapped taking the controls of a British Army tank during his inaugural visit to the Royal Tank Regiment as Colonel-in-Chief today. The amusing scene unfolded as the monarch toured the Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset, where he also awarded medals to troops on parade.
After shedding his suit jacket and putting on a green helmet equipped with a microphone for protection, the King positioned himself in the tank’s commander’s position as it manoeuvred around the museum’s arena.
He had arrived for the engagement aboard a 1920 Pattern Rolls-Royce armoured vehicle, quipping that the motor was “very slow”.
The late Queen travelled in the identical Rolls-Royce armoured vehicle when she visited the museum in 1997 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Cambrai.
Throughout his engagement today, King Charles received a guided tour of the museum, including the Tank Story Hall, where personnel detailed the heritage and importance of armoured vehicles from World War I through to contemporary times.
Outdoors, the King bestowed medals upon troops on parade, including broader service medals for Operation Cabrit in Estonia, long-service and good-conduct awards, and commendations, reports the Express.
The King subsequently examined a Challenger 3 tank, the army’s most recent battle tank, before being demonstrated the cutting-edge technological advances employed by the regiment, including 3D-printed kit and reconnaissance and strike drones.
The King’s visit occurred just one day ahead of Prince Harry’s anticipated arrival in the UK.
On Monday morning, reports emerged suggesting Prince Harry had been extended an invitation to stay at Buckingham Palace during the London portion of his trip.
However, shortly afterwards, it transpired this wasn’t accurate as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had failed to meet the Palace’s response deadline.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex responded forcefully to claims the invitation had been “withdrawn”.
They said: “I am aware of multiple briefings from Buckingham Palace last week suggesting that the Duke had not accepted the offer of accommodation at a Royal Residence.
“Following RAVEC’s decision not to provide security for his family, the Duke spent last week making alternative security arrangements.
“Once those arrangements were in place, he was able to formally accept the offer of accommodation for himself over the weekend.
“It is therefore disappointing that the offer has now been withdrawn, with Tuesday’s judgment in the Associated Newspapers Limited case cited as the reason.
“Buckingham Palace has, however, been aware of that judgment since last Thursday. It is therefore unclear why, having formally accepted the accommodation offer, it has now been withdrawn at the last moment.”
