It’s a very special weekend in Chatham-Kent and Essex County, as royalty will be coming to the region.
Prince Michael of Kent, a first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth and Colonel-in-Chief of the Essex and Kent Regiment, will be here for the changing of the regimental colours.
Gord Prentice, commanding officer of the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment, said this is called the lay up of the old colours.
“The colours represent the life blood of the regiment,” he said at municipal council Monday evening. “These colours never go anywhere except under armed guard.”
Colours, which showcase the regiment’s battle honours, wear out over time, Prentice said.
The last time the colours were laid up was 1994.
This time around, they will be laid up in Christ Church on Sunday. Prentice said Christ Church has a long history with the Kent Regiment and now the Essex and Kent.
Following that ceremony, the regiment will march from Christ Church to the Civic Centre, travelling down Wellington Street to King Street and to the Civic Centre, for the Exercise of the Freedom of the City. Prentice said the march is an excellent time for public participation in the weekend festivities by the regiment, as the public can come out to watch the parade and Exercise.
From the Civic Centre, the regiment will march through the downtown, stop and lay a wreath at the cenotaph, and then move on to the Chatham Armoury in Tecumseh Park for an afternoon reception.
The new colours, which will be presented in Windsor on Saturday, will feature new battle honours for the War of 1812 and Afghanistan, Prentice said.
