Royals King Charles Announces New Royal Role Ahead of Germany Trip, Following in Queen Elizabeth's Footsteps The King has a new title, taking over the role from his mother By Janine Henni Janine Henni Twitter Janine Henni is a Royals Staff Writer for PEOPLE Digital, covering modern monarchies and the world's most famous families. Like Queen Elizabeth, she loves horses and a great tiara moment. People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 28, 2023 11:02 AM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage; Chris Jackson/Getty Images King Charles has a new royal role previously held by Queen Elizabeth. On Tuesday, Buckingham Palace announced that the King, 74, has become Colonel-in-Chief of the Corps of Royal Engineers. The ceremonial post was last held by his mother, who died at age 96 in September. Queen Elizabeth last visited the corps at their Brompton Barracks base to celebrate the regiment's 300th anniversary in 2016. There, she inspected troops from the State Review Range Rover, posed for photos and received a salute from an underwater diver. "Commonly known as the Sappers, the Corps was founded in 1716 and gained the prefix Royal in 1787. They operate at the forefront of innovation to provide global military engineering and technical support to the British Armed Forces and their allies," the palace said in a statement of Charles' new appointment. Kate Middleton Gets a New Title from King Charles (That Previously Belonged to Prince William!) Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images The announcement came with a photo of the King meeting Chief Royal Engineer, Lieutenant General Sir Tyrone Richard Urch at Buckingham Palace Tuesday. The men had much to talk about, as the monarch is due to meet representatives from the Corps of Royal Engineers in Brandenburg, Germany during the first overseas visit of his royal reign, starting on Wednesday. While plans remain unchanged for King Charles and Queen Camilla's trip to Germany, they will no longer be visiting France as planned. It was announced last week that the royal couple postponed the French leg of the tour due to increasingly violent riots across the country. Members of the public are protesting President Emmanuel Macron's plan to raise the retirement age, and CNN reports that Monday marked the tenth day of nationwide action. Victoria Jones - Pool/Getty Images "The King and The Queen Consort's State Visit to France has been postponed," Buckingham Palace said in a statement last Friday. Their Majesties greatly look forward to the opportunity to visit France as soon as dates can be found." The royal visit to France had been highly anticipated, glamorously capped with a glittering state banquet at Versailles. King Charles and Queen Camilla. Chris Jackson/Getty The King and Queen Consort are set to visit Berlin, Brandenburg and Hamburg between Wednesday and Friday. They will receive a ceremonial welcome from President Steinmeier and Frau Büdenbender at the Brandenburg Gate (the first time any visiting head of state has received such a welcome at the site). The couple will also be guests of honor at a State Banquet, while King Charles will address the federal legislature, the Bundestag. Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! The Queen Consort and Frau Büdenbender are set to visit the Komische Opera in Berlin to learn more about the company's outreach projects and community engagement. While in Brandenburg, King Charles will meet reps from the Corps of Royal Engineers and see a demonstration of their bridge-building amphibious vehicles. King Charles and Queen Camilla. Andrew Milligan/Getty It is now the couple's only scheduled trip abroad ahead of Charles and Camilla's May 6 coronation in London. The tour was planned to "celebrate the U.K.'s relationship with France and Germany, marking our shared histories, culture and values," a palace spokesperson said when the visit was announced earlier this month.