'It's thrilling!' British royalty in Windsor and Chatham this weekend for Essex and Kent Scottish recognition

One weekend after King Charles’ coronation, a member of the British Royal Family will be in Windsor and Chatham, Ont. for special ceremonial events involving the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment.

Prince Michael of Kent will present the Essex and Kent Scottish with new Colours that were issued by his first cousin, her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

“These are sort of once in a career events,” said Lt.-Col. Gordon Prentice, commanding officer of the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment. “You won't see another ceremony like a presentation of colours for probably at least 25 years.”

The “Colours” are the regiment’s flags — the Canadian Flag (with the Crown in the middle of the maple leaf) is the “Sovereign’s Colour,” and the regiment’s flag, which is embroidered with its historical battle honours earned by the regiment’s actions over the past two centuries. 

HRH Prince Michael of Kent . (Courtesy: The Essex and Kent Scottish)

The new Colours will include four new battle honours, three for the War of 1812 (Maumee, Detroit, and Niagara), and a more recent battle honour, Afghanistan.

“This has been in the works for a few years now and unfortunately, we had to delay it from last year because the COVID conditions at the time,” Prentice explained.

On Saturday, May 13, the new Colours will be presented to the regiment by His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent, who is the regiment’s Colonel-in-Chief, at a special parade — the Trooping of the Colours — at the Windsor Waterfront Plaza between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Prince Michael will also attend a special church service in Chatham Sunday morning May 14, where the “old Colours” will be officially “laid-up” at Christ Church in Chatham, joining the “retired” Colours of the original Kent Regiment.

Prince Michael of Kent will present the Essex and Kent Scottish with new Colours this weekend. Pictured in Chatham, Ont. on Monday, May 8, 2023. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

After the church service, the regiment will march from Christ Church to the Chatham-Kent Civic Center, where the commanding officer will request from the mayor to “exercise the Freedom of the City,” as it was previously granted to the regiment in 1985.

“We certainly want the public to be present to observe all this,” Prentice told CTV News. “This will be the first time that it's been done since Freedom of the City was granted by Chatham back in 1985. So again, it's kind of a once in a career sort of thing.”

Officials note the public is welcome to attend the civic center in Chatham on Sunday, May 14 at 1 p.m., to see the “Freedom of the City” march past and the ceremonies associated with it in front of “City Hall.”

Following the event, a military parade will march down King Street to the cenotaph before ending at the old armouries.

Prince Michael of Kent will present the Essex and Kent Scottish with new Colours this weekend. Pictured in Chatham, Ont. on Monday, May 8, 2023. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

“It’s thrilling that we're having Prince Michael come down and tour through Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent,” said Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff. “We're going to have him here for the weekend and it's a huge deal for the military.”

“The military is so important. You know, it’s wonderful we don't see them because they're not needed, but when they're needed in any way, shape or form, whether it's abroad or locally in an emergency situation, they're there. They sacrifice so much for us, and we need to remember them, not just one or two days. We need to remember them all the time.”

In an interview with CTV News, Essex and Kent Scottish 2Lt. Nick Scali said, “It's also a chance for us as a unit to be in front of the public and to sort of represent ourselves to the public in a way that we don't often get the chance to do and sort of conduct ourselves as we do, as professional Canadian soldiers, and to allow the public to see some of some of what we do, which, you know, unfortunately it just it doesn't happen all that often.”