Prince William, the eldest son of King Charles III, will receive a new title later this week, marking the beginning of a rare royal family.

In keeping with a tradition started in 1725 by George I’s Letters Patent, the father and son team will attend the Order of the Bath Service at Westminster Abbey on Friday, May 16. This ceremony will honour the Order’s 300th anniversary year.

In addition to William being placed in a brand-new position that will come with a fancy new title, this will be Charles’ first service as the ruling monarch of the old order, making it a rare royal first.

The Prince of Wales will be sworn in as Great Master of the Order tomorrow during the Order of the Bath Service.

In essence, the ritual is a resuscitation of an ancient tradition that goes all the way back to the Middle Ages.

A ritual bath, thought to symbolise spiritual purity, was once a part of the knighthood rite.

A vigil the night before the award was given was also part of it.

In 1975, Charles’s mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, had already crowned him Great Master.

The Sovereign typically attends every other service, but William, in his capacity as Great Master, attends every service, which is held every four years.

The last time Charles, then the Prince of Wales, went was in 2022.

The order has three distinct member classes: Companion (CB), Knight or Dame Commander (KCB/DCB), and Knight or Dame Grand Cross (GCB).

Women were not permitted to join the order until 1971.

The most recent royal portraits of Charles and Queen Consort Camilla were displayed at the National Gallery last week.

The portraits of Camilla, 77, and Charles, 76, were made by artists Paul Benny and Peter Kuhfeld, respectively, to commemorate the couple’s coronation in 2023.

But the detail that was painted on his right shoulder was what really grabbed people’s attention online, and many of them hurried to social media to express their conjectures.

“Is that a bra thrown on his shoulder?” asked one Facebook user.

“I thought he had a bra draped over his shoulder?” questioned a second, while a third quite boldly declared, “It’s the bra on his shoulder and the bondage ties on the bed post.”

According to a fourth, “He has a bra over his shoulder.”

“What’s the bra doing on his shoulder?” echoed another, as a final person added, “The bra on his shoulder!”

The head of the royal family would not have chosen to have a piece of white lacy lingerie draped over himself in a royal portrait, in our opinion, regardless of jokes.

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