King’s aide for the day has island connections
A serving Army officer from the Bailiwick will assist His Majesty in a series of formal ceremonies during tomorrow’s visit by the King and Queen.
Captain Amy Challinor, who grew up in Guernsey and Alderney, will be the King’s aide de camp in Guernsey.
She is serving in 32 Engineer Regiment, in North Yorkshire, and was invited to assist with the Royal visit by the Lt-Governor, Lieutenant General Richard Cripwell, a fellow Royal Engineer, who served with Captain Challinor when working for Nato. His Majesty is the Colonel-in-Chief of the Corps of Royal Engineers.
‘It’s an absolute honour to be invited to assist the Sovereign, especially in my home island. I’m very much looking forward to the visit,’ she said.
The Lt-Governor said he was delighted that Captain Challinor had been released to assist on the day.
‘She will fulfil an important role in the formal ceremonies that islanders will see performed here,’ he said.
Captain Challinor will assist The King when His Majesty presides over a special sitting of the States of Deliberation, followed by the paying of homage, which will take place on St Peter Port seafront.
The Challinor family have lived in the Bailiwick for more than 50 years, in both Guernsey and Alderney. She moved to Guernsey aged 10, where she attended the Grammar School before studying Conflict, Peace and Security at university.
Captain Challinor joined the British Army in 2017 and completed regular officer training at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.
She is a current serving officer within the Corps of Royal Engineers, specialising in close and force support operations.
She has completed a mixture of overseas deployments, including delivering a six-month engineering project in the Falkland Islands. For two years she served as aide de camp to the Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe at Nato’s operational headquarters in Belgium.
More recently she has deployed on a six-month operational tour in Europe, supporting the UK’s defence priorities, and is currently serving as the adjutant for 32 Engineer Regiment, part of the 7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team, known as The Desert Rats, supporting Nato’s Response Force.
POSTAL SERVICE SUSPENDED
There will be no Guernsey Post collections or deliveries tomorrow as it is a public holiday for the King’s visit and all post office branches will be closed.
Today the Town Post Office at North Plantation will be closed, with no deliveries along the seafront. Post boxes at Town Church and the Weighbridge will be closed from 8am today.
Normal service will resume on Wednesday.
