This week, the Duchess of Cambridge became the patron of the RAF Air Cadets, a role previously held by Prince Philip.
The Duke of Edinburgh relinquished his role as Honorary Air Commodore-in-Chief to the Duchess, which marks the first time that the Duchess has taken over a patronage role from another royal. According to the Telegraph, the 33-year-old is now Honorary Air Commandant of the Air Cadets. This is the first military-linked appointment for the Duchess.
For the occasion, the Duchess wore a red Luisa Spagnoli suit and black heels. To welcome the Duchess to her new role, a ceremony took place at the Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, Dec. 16, where she was presented with a copy of Horizons, a history of the Air Cadets, which tells of the history and traditions of the organization she will represent.
At the ceremony, Air Commodore Dawn McCafferty paid tribute to the 95-year-old royal, saying that he is admired and respected by cadets and volunteers alike.
"We will miss his ready sense of humor and genuine interest in the development of the nation's youth," said McCafferty. McCafferty said that they are "thrilled" that the Duchess agreed to be their patron, adding that her links to the RAF are already well established and that her desire to support youth development has been recognized all over the world.
The Duchess will assume her new role on the eve of the Air Training Corps' 75th anniversary, which the cadets will celebrate throughout 2016. As Honorary Air Commandant of the Air Cadets, the royal now represents an organization of 42,000 cadets aged from 12 to 19, and 15,000 volunteers at more than 1,200 units across the U.K. and abroad.
According to the HRH Duchess Kate blog, the royals have a long history with the cadets as Prince Philip first took up the appointment following the death of the Queen's father, King George VI, who served as founding patron. Prince Philip served as the RAF Air Cadets' patron for 63 years before he passed on the patronage to the Duchess.
