Did Prince Charles & Camilla Broke Royal Protocol With This Act?
Early this week, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall attended a royal engagement.
During the Portsmouth base ceremony to mark the commissioning of a new aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales was named after Prince Charles. The Duke headed over the service to an audience of 2,000 from industry, allies, friends, and family.
A proud day today as we welcome @HMSPWLS, our second carrier, to the Fleet. A superb commissioning ceremony, and a fine tribute to the hard work and dedication of all those involved, from the day the first steel was cut right up to this moment. pic.twitter.com/q6uQmLqred — First Sea Lord (@AdmTonyRadakin) December 10, 2019
In a shocking turn of events, however, Prince Charles walked behind his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, due to a royal protocol. While it seemed mundane, it is unusual as Prince Charles is the heir to the throne.
A spokesperson for the Royal Navy, nonetheless, explained the logic behind the role of the Duchess of Cornwall.
Speaking to Express,the spokesperson said: "The role of the lady sponsor is akin to being a godmother, attending the significant events during the life of the ship and taking an interest not only in the ship's activities but also the welfare of the ship's company."
The Lady Sponsor, in short, is a selected female to bestow good luck on the vessel, which means that Prince Charles technically accompanied Bowles to the event and not the other way around.
Future King Had a Good Time
The ceremony also features live music, and the Band of the Royal Marines treated everyone with a few songs.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall also cut the commissioning cake, and they enjoyed several sweet treats that were baked -- including one topped with figures of the royal couple for the event.
Camilla wore a pale blue outfit by Bruce Oldfield together with a fascinator that also matched her dress, while Prince Charles opted for his classic military uniform, an Admiral of the Fleet.
As Lady Sponsor, The Duchess of Cornwall addresses the Ship’s Company and gathered guests: “Wherever in the world HMS Prince of Wales is sent, may she acquit herself with honour, and return safely home.” pic.twitter.com/c2SZ20ZfD4 — Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) December 10, 2019
The Duchess' blue tone dress flattered her relaxed blonde hair, giving her a chic winter look that seemed straight out of a Disney film. She completed her look with black accessories that looked elegant.
HMS Prince of Wales
The HMS Prince of Wales is Britain's second Queen Elizabeth carrier. It came with a hefty price tag of about $4 billion.
Prince Charles and Camilla braved the heavy rain while attending the ceremony. After the event, the Prince was given the title of Honorary Commodore-in-Chief.
A battleship sunk on the same day 78 years ago by Japanese forces in the South China Sea. The last HMS Prince of Wales, alongside HMS Repulse, was sunk in 1941 and lost 327 lives.
Nearly 7,000 miles away, the staff of HMS Enterprise paused at the final resting place of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse last week to hold a commemorative service and lower a White Ensign to the remnants.
According to Camilla, "The sheer scale and size of HMS Prince of Wales are simply breathtaking. Just to give you a comparison, Clarence House would fit nearly 25 times onto the flight deck."
HMS Prince of Wales, which by naval practice will be indicated to in the feminine notwithstanding carrying the title of the male heir apparent, is slightly greater and weightier than her sister.
She has a displacement of 65,000 tons, a length of 284 meters and a beam of 73 meters.
Run by the 170-strong marine engineering division, the carrier is power-driven by four diesel engines and two gas turbines.
