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Duchess of Cornwall pays tribute to 'much-missed' father-in-law Prince Philip at glamorous dinner

Camilla was joined by the Countess of Wessex

duchess camilla prince philip
Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
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The Duchess of Cornwall paid tribute to her late father-in-law, the Duke of Edinburgh, as she gave a speech at the biennial Rifles Awards dinner in London on Thursday night.

Camilla, 74, took over the role as Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles from Prince Philip in July 2020, with separate ceremonies at Windsor Castle and Highgrove House marking the transfer.

Speaking to guests at London's Guildhall, the Duchess said: "Your Royal Highnesses, Your Excellencies, Riflemen, ladies and gentlemen, it is a huge pleasure to join you all this evening, for the first time as your proud Colonel-in-Chief. 

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"It is always a daunting task to take over from a former Colonel-in-Chief, but in my case, to step into the boots of my much-missed, late father-in-law, The Duke of Edinburgh, is quite frankly terrifying! 

"I know it was a role that he cherished and of which he was immensely proud, and it is one of the greatest honours of my life to have followed him into this illustrious role."

duchess of cornwall speech rifles© Photo: Getty Images

The Duchess took over as Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles in 2020

The Duke of Edinburgh sadly passed away at the age of 99 in April.

Camilla was joined at the event by other members of the royal family, including the Countess of Wessex, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra.

The Duchess of Cornwall looked elegant in a floor-length black gown with glittering emerald jewellery at the dinner, while the Countess of Wessex wowed in a blue Emilia Wickstead dress, accessorising with a sequin clutch bag.

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countess of wessex rifles dinner© Photo: Getty Images

The Countess of Wessex wowed in a blue Emilia Wickstead gown

The Queen, who carried out a second in-person engagement this week, faced a difficult day last Saturday, as it would have marked her 74th wedding anniversary with Prince Philip.

The monarch, 95, joined family and friends in Windsor on Sunday as she attended the joint christenings of her great-grandsons, August Brooksbank and Lucas Tindall.

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