King Charles III stepped into a history-making moment Friday at Windsor Castle, presenting new Colours to four Royal Marines Commando units at the same time. Those units were 40, 42, 43, and 45 Commando. Four units, one ceremony, one king. That’s never been done before in the entire history of the corps.
The Royal Family announced the ceremony on Instagram, and the weight of it came through immediately. Colours aren’t just decorative flags. In British military tradition, they carry a regiment’s battle honours and its identity. Receiving new Colours from the sovereign is one of the highest ceremonial moments a unit can have.
The part that hit hardest was the generational thread running through it. King Charles addressed the troops on parade and brought his late father into the room with a few simple words. “It is now twenty-five years since my father, His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, presented new Colours to the Royal Marines,” the King said, “and so it gives me immense pride and pleasure to be able to do so once again today.”
Twenty-five years. That’s a long stretch between these moments. Prince Philip last carried out this honour in 2001. Now his son stands in that same role, as Sovereign and Captain General of the Royal Marines. It’s a generational handoff that’s been a quarter-century in the making.
That lineage angle gives this ceremony its real punch. Charles has been King since September 2022. He’s carried out plenty of official duties in those years. But this one had something personal tucked inside all the formality. The direct nod to Philip, the “first in history” framing – these made it a marker moment, not just a calendar event.
The Royal Marines deserve recognition here too. 40, 42, 43, and 45 Commando are among the UK’s elite fighting units. Royal Marines Commandos are the country’s amphibious force, known for some of the most demanding military training anywhere. Standing on parade at Windsor to receive Colours from your Captain General in person – that’s a career milestone for every servicemember there.
For Charles, the ceremony looked like more than a scheduled obligation. He’s been stepping into roles carrying enormous symbolic weight since his accession. This one had a personal edge. He invoked his father openly, without hesitation. That kind of acknowledgment doesn’t always come naturally in a family known for keeping things composed.
The “first in history” piece is worth sitting with too. Four Commando units receiving Colours concurrently has never happened in the Royal Marines’ entire history. The corps traces its roots to 1664. So Friday wasn’t just another line on the royal calendar.
King Charles III showed up at Windsor and made something new. He honored something old at the same time. That’s the move.
