In a moving letter, King Charles III expresses his sincere thanks and admiration for the Australian soldiers’ bravery throughout his late mother Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign.
Less than five weeks after Her Majesty’s passing, the newly crowned King sent a letter expressing his gratitude for the past and present members of the Australian armed forces.
The letter, written on stationery from Buckingham Palace and obtained by 2GB morning anchor Ben Fordham, was addressed to the commander of the Australian Defense Force.
Since then, Australian soldiers have been appreciative of it.
The message from King Charles begins, “On the occasion of my accession to the sovereignty, I would like to send my sincere gratitude to all who serve in the Australian Defence Force for the unwavering loyalty and professionalism you displayed throughout the reign of my beloved mother.”
“I know The Queen took the greatest possible pride in the way Australian service members carried out their duties in many parts of the world, frequently in the most trying and challenging situations.”
The letter is concluded by King Charles expressing his late mother’s admiration for the bravery and dedication of the Australian soldiers.
He wrote, “I know, for my part, that you will continue to serve your country with the steadfastness and bravery which you have shown with such success over the years.”
King Charles’ letter was unknown to Richard Marles, the defence minister, until Fordham informed him of its existence on Wednesday.
The “very special” letter touched him, and he expressed his hope that the Australian soldiers would be grateful for it.
According to Mr. Marles, “This is something that’ll mean a lot to our serving men and women.”
The Royal Family and our Defense Force have a close relationship.
“To receive the letter from the new King acknowledging Queen Elizabeth’s gratitude for their efforts is something that is really special, and we really appreciate it,” Queen Elizabeth said.
The letter was written a few weeks after Prince William, the King’s son, personally thanked ADF members who took part in the Queen’s state funeral ceremony in London last month.
Two days before the funeral, the Prince and Princess of Wales paid a visit to Pirbright Army Barracks to express their gratitude to the Commonwealth troops from Australia, Canada, and New Zealand who had participated in the ceremony.
The royal couple spent time conversing with members of the marching contingent, including Australian Army Captain Joshua Downs.
‘It was an honour to meet them. I sincerely apprecited the fact that they had taken time out to express their support for us despite Prince William having just recently lost his grandmother,’ Captain Downs added.
‘Their compassion for us in planning for the funeral was really sweet.’