The King and I

Off By Ed Hanna

As we look forward to the Coronation of HM King Charles III and HM Queen Camilla, Forces charity, Help for Heroes shared stories from Veterans who have had the honour of meeting the new Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces.

It isn’t everyday you meet a future king. Though brief, it’s clear that it’s a memory that can last a lifetime…

Duane Fletcher, Northallerton

Duane joined the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps at 16 and was commissioned as an officer in 2001. He was then deployed to Afghanistan where he ran a trauma centre in Helmand. He was presented with an MBE in 2015.

“In 2015 I attended Buckingham Palace to receive my MBE which was presented to me by the then Prince of Wales. He was very well informed about the work we had done during the seven months in Afghanistan and gave a real sense that he was both interested and thankful for what we had achieved. King Charles also took his time to engage in short conversations with every Military recipient attending that day.”

Tara Robertson, Taunton, Somerset

Tara Served in the Army between 1992-1999.

“I Met Charles in 2018 at the Mey Highland Games when I was taking part in the North Coast 500. He greeted participants individually and exchanged words with us all. I will forever remember the moment when I felt charmed by a Prince!”

Kieran Wood, Preston

Kieran was a private with the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment before being discharged due to brain injury.

“I met HM King Charles when he visited the Mey Highland Games in 2019. I was presented with the Players’ Player award by Charles, and we shared a laugh over the fact that the figure on the trophy (which was sculpted by another Help for Heroes Veteran) was wearing a kilt that flashed a little too much if you looked closely! Charles was great.”

Les Roberts, Hampshire

Les was a member of the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, employed as a Regimental Clerk. The Colonel of the Regiment was Prince Charles.

“In 1986, the Regiment received its first visit from Prince Charles. At the time I was working in the orderly room as a young Corporal. My one and only task was to pour a cup of tea for Prince Charles and the Commanding Officer, if required. As Prince Charles and the CO walked in, I poured what I thought was a pot of tea. However, due to some misunderstanding all that was in the pot was boiling water. The RSM’s face has remained in my mind ever since. Luckily it was sorted without the Commanding Officer or Prince Charles realising.”

Derek Mundy, Milton Keynes

In 1983 Derek was posted to 20 Sqn RCT in the training wing and became a Reserve Driver for the Royal Household. He says: “I had the honour of driving HRH Prince Charles and Princess Diana, played ball with Princes William and Harry and met Her Majesty the Queen.”