“I bid farewell to the title with sadness.” King Charles hands over a major military role to Prince William

Britain's King Charles assigned a major military role to his son, Prince William, at a ceremony held yesterday, Monday, in a rare joint appearance for both of them, as the king intensifies his return to public duties after being diagnosed with cancer.

Charles presented William with the title of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps, a position the 75-year-old king held for 32 years, in front of an Apache helicopter, in a ceremony watched by military personnel at the Military Aviation Museum in southern England.

“He's a very good pilot indeed,” Charles said of his son, a former RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot.

Charles's visit to the Military Aviation Museum was his latest public appearance since his return to his duties at the end of last April, that is, approximately three months after Buckingham Palace announced that he was undergoing treatment for an unspecified type of cancer.

During the handover ceremony, Charles said he said goodbye to the title "with sadness", but that the Army Air Corps would go from "strength to strength" under his son's leadership. He added: "Take care of yourselves and I cannot tell you how proud I am to have worked with you all this time."

The transfer of the title was announced last August after Charles ascended to the throne. William spent some time inside Air Force headquarters, where he viewed training and equipment and listened to soldiers later Monday.