I can remember feeling very miffed back in the mid sixties when a previously non Army Aviation Maj.Gen. was appointed Commander Army Aviation and on visiting us at an aviation seminar in Bielefeld was awarded Army wings by the senior officer present, it certainly did belittle the efforts of those who successfully completed the course.
Why not award the wings, brevets, badges whatever but have a ruling that if they are honourary they should be worn on the opposite sleeve, chest side etc.?
As far as this Chinook trip goes, "so what"? - if it hadn't flown to Bembridge it would have gone somewhere else and there was training value for the crew, (it is not as though HRH was the captain), London heli-lanes, off-shore procedure, landing at an unfamiliar site etc. etc. Just a shame it got out and wasn't better handled by the
PR machine.