Prince Harry passed out as a newly commissioned officer during this year's Sovereign's Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
Acting as Reviewing Officer for almost 500 officer cadets was Prince Harry's grandmother, The Queen.
Also attending the ceremony were The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince William, now an officer cadet in the junior term at Sandhurst.
The day began with a church service in the Academy Royal Memorial Chapel for the senior-term officer cadets and their parents.
Her Majesty then reviewed the new officers as they passed-out and received their commissions.
The Queen made a speech congratulating the new officers on their successful training and on the parade itself. She also spoke of the challenges which leadership would bring:
"It will be your success as leaders that will decide the progress of your careers in the Army. It will depend on how you exercise your responsibilities to other people and how you exercise your responsibilities for other people."
Following the parade, The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall had lunch with the officer cadets and their guests in Old College.
Prince Harry will now join the Blues and Royals regiment within the Household Cavalry, as a Second Lieutenant.
He is to undergo a period of specialist training with the aim of becoming a Troop Leader in the Royal Armoured Corps. As Troop Leader, he will be responsible for leading a team of soldiers carrying out reconnaissance work in a variety of operational settings.
His Royal Highness has been known as Officer Cadet Wales, throughout the gruelling training within the Alamein company at the academy.
Princes William and Harry join a long line of members of the Royal family who have served in the Armed forces. Their father, The Prince of Wales, uncle, The Duke of York and grandfather, The Duke of Edinburgh, all had careers in the Navy. The Duke of Edinburgh was present in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese signed the surrender at the end of World War II, whilst The Duke of York served in the Falklands conflict as a pilot.
The tradition of the Sovereign's Parade was begun by The Queen's father, King George VI, who acted as Reviewing Officer at the first parade at Sandhurst in 1948.
The Queen has acted as the Reviewing Officer at Sandhurst in 1949, 1965, 1985 and 1991. |
