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Prince Harry is commissioned from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

11th April 2006

Prince Harry was today commissioned as an army officer after completing a 44 week cadet training course at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

In a ceremony known as Passing Out, Prince Harry marched with 220 other newly commissioned officers past The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh during the historic Sovereign’s Parade at the Old College, Sandhurst.

The 21-year-old Prince was watched by his father The Prince of Wales wearing his uniform of Lieutenant General, and The Duchess of Cornwall.

Prince William, who began his training at Sandhurst in January, also watched the Parade with the other Junior Cadets.

Following the ceremony, the Prince becomes a 2nd Lieutenant and will join the Household Cavalry’s Blues and Royals where his rank is referred to as a Cornet.

He will serve in an armoured reconnaissance unit and train to become a troop commander, in charge of 11 men and four light tanks.

Tradition dictates that the “pips” on Harry’s shoulder - one star signalling his rank as 2nd Lieutenant - remain covered up until midnight.

The young officers stood to attention during the National Anthem after which The Queen inspected the officers.

The Queen passed through the lines chatting to some of them and when she reached her grandson, Prince Harry, she gave him a beaming smile and in return Harry gave her a big grin.

As the new officers marched past The Queen, Prince William and the other new cadets all saluted.

The Queen addressed the newly-commissioned officers and inspected those on parade.

She told them in her speech: “This is a very special occasion for me, as it is for all of you who are gaining your commissions today.

“It is also a great occasion for your family and friends.

“This day marks the beginning of what I hope will be highly-successful careers as officers in the British Army or the armies of our friends and allies, and I am pleased to see so many cadets from the Commonwealth and other countries on parade.

"Many people seem to believe that the preparation to become an officer is merely a matter of acquiring some basic understanding of military procedures and of achieving high standards in physical fitness.

“I believe that there is more to it than that. It is also the first step in learning how to become leaders.”

Her Majesty added: “Many talented young people can learn the principles of management; but effective leadership is far more demanding.

The Queen wished all the cadets success in the future and spoke of how they could be deployed on operations within just weeks.

“I know that everyone here today has been deeply impressed by your smartness and bearing on this parade.

“This is just the end of the beginning and many of you will deploy on operations within months or even weeks.

“I wish you all every success in your chosen career. My congratulations, my prayers and my trust go with you all.”

Following a short break, in May Prince Harry will begin the next phase of his Army training. He will first spend a brief amount of time with his Regiment at Windsor before moving to a specialist training course at Bovington Camp in Dorset. The course at Bovington is run for all officers aiming to become Armoured Reconnaissance Troop Leaders.

At Bovington, Prince Harry will be instructed in signals, driving and maintenance, as well as in general gunnery training. He will spend approximately five months at Bovington.

Prince Harry will then rejoin his Regiment in Windsor where he will be responsible for a troop of 11 soldiers and four Scimitar reconnaissance vehicles.

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