Prince William made a surprise appearance at a Christmas party in Windsor as he joined the Welsh Guards at their barracks. As the regiment’s Colonel, the Prince of Wales was pictured laughing with the officers who all looked very festive in green and blue paper hats.
While there, William helped to serve Christmas dinner, spent time with members of the 1st Battalion and enjoyed a few festive drinks. He also spoke to members of the junior ranks in the Sergeants’ Mess and heard about what they had been up to since returning from a training exercise in Kenya.
Prince William’s connection to the regiment dates back further than just his time as their colonel as he previously joined them for part of his gap year in the jungles of Belize.
His time with the regiment before he went to study at the University of St Andrews was documented by royal author Katie Nicholl in her book, William and Harry.
She explained how “He was taught how to kill and prepare his food. An exercise code-named Native Trail began with instructors slaughtering a pig, hanging it from a pole and butchering it. The soldiers, William included, were then given a live chicken to dispatch.
“They had to wring its neck and cut off its head and feet with a machete, pluck its feathers and gut it before cooking it over a fire, exactly as they would have to do if they were living off the land in a jungle war. They were shown how to make a termite stew – and then made to eat it.”
William became the Colonel of the Welsh Guards in 2022, when he took over from his father, King Charles. From his wedding until then, he had served as the Colonel of the Irish Guards, a position which was subsequently handed to Princess Catherine.
The King previously served as the Colonel of the Welsh Guards from March 1975 during his long tenure as Prince of Wales. He has been Head of the Armed Forces ever since his accession in 2022.
In addition to their two new roles, King Charles appointed the Queen as the new Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, succeeding the disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.