The Duchess of Cornwall has met the bereaved families of riflemen killed in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The private meeting came as Camilla attended the The Rifles Sounding Retreat at Horse Guards Parade in London last night (Thursday, June 9).
The Duchess, who is Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles, was joined by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, for an evening of military music and pageantry that told the history of regiment from the Napoleonic era to modern times.
Camilla also attended a private reception with generals and commanding officers along with members of The Rifles and their families. About 500 veterans from the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts were present, some of whom were wounded in action.
Retired Lt Col Baz Melia, head of the Always A Rifleman organisation, set up in August to help servicemen from the regiment who are facing trauma or are close to taking their lives, said: “The most important thing we are doing is connecting everybody after a sustained period of being disconnected or isolated. Something like this brings everybody back together in a family in which they once served.”
He said that Camilla’s dedication to The Rifles was valuable because “she is an individual who galvanises the whole of the regimental family – from the veteran to the serving community”. Earlier, as part of the proceedings, Camilla had given permission for the Sounding Retreat to start.
Scenes of the regiment’s past were played out by actors in detailed outfits fashioned to recreate different historical events. Camilla and the crowd stood as Ukraine’s national anthem and also God Save The Queen rang throughout the parade ground.
The English National Opera also gave a special performance of You’ll Never Walk Alone, the anthem adopted by Liverpool FC to provide comfort during the triumphs and tragedies of the decades, as a sign of support for the people of Ukraine.
Mr Melia said: “One of the things we stand for is democracy and freedom. When that is challenged you will find we glue ourselves together and support anybody whose freedom is threatened. At the moment Ukraine is being threatened and one of the ways we show our solidarity today has been with a rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
Camilla took over the role of Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles from the Duke of Edinburgh in July 2020. The Rifles, which is the British Army’s largest infantry regiment, was formed in 2007 when four British Army infantry regiments were merged.
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