I think Charles defaces the value and meaning of medals by wearing them when he hasn't earned them. I think the Royals look a bit silly with a chestful of them.
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I’m with Elegran, it bothers me not one jot whether Charles wears his medals in public or not.
If only that were all we had to stress about!
No doubt if he didn’t wear them he would be accused of being disrespectful & dishonouring numerous groups of people.
That is absolutely true.
He is representing the Queen who is Head of the Armed Forces and Head of the Commonwealth and the medals will represent various branches of the Forces and countries of the Commonwealth so is honouring them.
No doubt if he didn’t wear them he would be accused of being disrespectful & dishonouring numerous groups of people.
It would be a pleasant change to think the best of someone instead of the worst, none of us are perfect, something we should all perhaps reflect on , as it says in the bible ‘let he who is with out sin cast the first stone ‘
Active service means being in the Services full-time.
Of course, some on here may think that captaining a ship is not a particularly active thing to do.
But they'd be wrong.
It means taking part in military operations, NotTooOld so not necessarily a war.
Active service? I'd define it as fighting in a war. I don't recall Prince Charles doing that.
The head of a regiment or squadron should wear the appropriate medals otherwise it would look like a junior officer is inspecting the parade.
That is my opinion Calliestemon which is why I said to think that, I wouldn't presume to know what anyone attending the service was thinking.
I don't agree that one has to be a Republican to think that Prince Charles wearing 'honorary' medals was disrespectful to those veterans he was addressing
Is that the known view of the veterans or just a guess?
They weren't all "honorary". Most representedsomething even if it wasn't conspicuous bravery. Some of them are ones which everyone serving in a certain place at a certain time received, from when he was serving in the forces - a fact. One showed that he was a member of the order of the garter, another that he was a grand master of that order - facts. Some comemorated that he was present at the coronation and so on - everyone who was present on these occasions got one.
If he never wore them, someone would be bound to complain about that!
Some were presented to him by foreign countries - so rather like bits of jewellery that he wears to thank the givers. No need to wear those, I suppose, except when in those countries on ceremonial occasions. I have read that he doesn't wear all his medals at once, but a selection at any one time. It is possible that he includes the foreign ones every so often so that if any head of state says "I've not seen you wearing that medal we gave you!" he can answer "I did wear it at XXXX"
If an ex-soldier spent his time during the war peeling spuds and washing dishes at Aldershot, without ever stepping on foreign soil, he would still have got medals for being in the army during those years. He would not have got the one for being in France or Belgium though, because he wasn't there. Charles doesn't have any military medals for being anywhere that he wasn't, so they are on the same footing as other members of the forces received.
I do hope he does.
I don't agree that one has to be a Republican to think that Prince Charles wearing 'honorary' medals was disrespectful to those veterans he was addressing. It is not Charles' fault, it is the 'system' , maybe he will be the one to change some of these more provocative and silly traditions when he takes the throne.
Lioness68 I am an RAF veteran My father, uncles, male cousins, grandfathers were all veterans ( regulars, not national service).
I have no problem with members of the royal family wearing medals, as they are representing the queen, who is head of the military.
The person who said that Charles’s father did not serve on the front line. (Sorry! Can’t remember who said it) is wrong. Prince Philip commanded a ship during WWII and was definitely’ in the midst of it’
Some may feel it is an anachronism and "showing off", but at official ceremonies it is the custom for those entitled to wear medals to display them. Perhaps the downmarket equivalent is the T-shirts with university crests or football logos proudly displayed on the chests of weedy individuals - who have never attended that college or played for that team.
My father had three medals, which were not for any particular act of heroism, but for being a member of the armed forces at a given place and time. Incidentally, I would not dream of wearing any of them myself, as I was at home in my little cot at the time, not in France serving in the atmed forces.
Charles is not wearing any medals that he is not entitled to. His honours too are made up of awards for serving in the armed forces at a particular time or place, and also being a member of a high-ranking order or medals from other countries.
Some, like the coronation and jubilee awards, mark the fact that he was present for these events and ceremonies. Others have these medals too. The golden jubilee medal was awarded to all serving personnel of five years standing.
Starting with the bar of medals pinned to his breast, he has the Queen's Service Order (New Zealand), awarded in 1983; the Queen's Coronation medal, awarded in 1953 when he was four-years-old;
the Queen's Silver Jubilee medal, awarded in 1977;
the Queen's Golden Jubilee medal, awarded in 2002;
the Canadian forces decoration, awarded in 2002;
and the New Zealand commemorative medal, awarded in 1990.
Below those, the large silver star with the cross of St George in the centre shows he is a Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. This was awarded in 1958 when he was nominated as the Prince of Wales.
The white enamelled Maltese Cross at his neck is the GCB, worn as Grand Master and Principal Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, a military version of the honour awarded in 1974.
And on the right is the red enamelled Order of Merit, civil version, awarded in 2002.
The Knights of the Garter, for example, include the sovereign, the successor and up to 25 other "companions" - former prime ministers and other figures with a solid record of service to the country.
It doesn't bother me whether he wears his medals in public or not.
These facts are from news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6147544.stm
westendgirl
In view of the present state of affairs does it matter. Looking at the front page of the Sunday Times........
Exam results chaos to end in court battle
M.P.in rape claim can return to Commons
Patel:Migrants see France as racist
250,000 missed cancer checks
A rust bucket to disaster
and that's the front page !!!
Exactly!
My Grandfather (WWI) and Father (WW2) both had medals,
Not for any particularly gallantry, but for being in a particular theatre of war, campaigns etc.They kicked about in a drawer and were never worn, as far as I’m aware, although both of them wore red poppies on Armistice Day.
To answer the OP, yes, I think it looks ridiculous for Charles to wear so many.
None of my family wore poppies and none claimed medals
I could have written this myself paddyanne
My much adored grandfather lost his own father because of injuries sustained in”the great war “ he was not quite 7 years old. My grandfather fought in WW2 and spoke very little about his experiences except for one anecdotal story about a little doll he bought for my mother in Belgium . He was a sick man all of his life having suffered amoebic dysentery in the trenches .
Neither he or his father before him ever claimed a single medal and yet we have this “person” who by accident of birth parades himself all done up with his pretty badges of honour . Makes me sick .
Another time, another place.....I can only sing when I’ve had a few.????
Oh dear.
Perhaps another time.
It could have been me Chewbacca ?
Yes Callistemon but I refuse to sing this evening ( so there!)
Esspee my DGD has a Blue Peter badge.
I am a very proud granny. ?
It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings Chewbacca
Our younger son has a medal on a ribbon to mark nine years service, unpaid and in his spare time, as a Police Special Constable?
He's now joined as a regular.
We are extremely proud of him and his medal was a lovely gesture.
By 'eck that was a walk down memory lane Lemon! I last heard My Brother Sylvest sung by the fattest lady I've ever seen in my life, in a Manchester pub, in 1978! 
for that!
Esspee
Isn’t one of them a Blue Peter badge?
You are right, and I'm sure that another is his cycling proficiency badge. Those that don't deserve always get the honours, those that do get forgotten as Ralph McTell so poignantly described in his song: "Streets of London:"
^Have you seen the old man
Outside the Seaman's Mission
Memory fading with the medal ribbons that he wears
In our winter city
The rain cries a little pity
For one more forgotten hero
And a world that doesn't care^
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