King Charles honors 150 Royal Navy personnel at Windsor Castle

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At Windsor Castle today, Royal Navy Sailors of all ranks and branches, alongside some members of The Royal Marines Band Service, had the Royal Victorian Order honours bestowed upon them by  King Charles III. The King honoured around 150 service personnel involved in the funeral of Late Queen Elizabeth II last year.

Those recognised by King Charles III for their role included Sailors who pulled the State Gun Carriage during the funeral procession of Queen Elizabeth on 19th September.The hour-long service on Tuesday morning kicked off with a special parade, where the band and personnel marched into the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle from the George IV Gate. The King took the salute from service personnel on parade and was joined by First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Ben Key, to present the medals, with the families of those participating watching on.

King Charles III awarded the medals to each individual and amicably chatted as he moved down the line. The King spoke to Paisley Chambers-Smith, a medical assistant who is seven months pregnant, and shook hands with other servicemen and women.

The Royal Victorian Order was created by Queen Victoria in 1896 to allow her to recognize people who helped her or represented her. Interestingly , the ruling monarch personally selects who is given the honor.

74 years old King Charles III was officially crowned as the monarch of the United Kingdom in a grand ceremony steeped in centuries of tradition on May 6, 2023.  This was an historic event for Britain as it  marked Britain’s first coronation in 70 years. In addition to being the head of state of Britain, King Charles III also assumed the role of monarch for 14 other countries, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand, among others.