From royalty to officer, Britain’s Prince Harry has now stepped forth as, in the slang of the U.S. Army, a brand-spanking-new butterbar.
A smile was exchanged between the Queen and her grandson yesterday, as Prince Harry paraded in front of the monarch at his passing-out ceremony at Sandhurst. He joined 218 other officer cadets at the military college’s historic Sovereign’s Parade, and emerged a 2nd lieutenant destined to join the Household Cavalry.
Dressed in a navy blue uniform, white gloves and cap, the third in line to the throne stood with raised sword as the Queen inspected each line of the British Army’s new officers. Like his comrades in arms, a senior military source said yesterday, it was “eminently possible” that Prince Harry, 21, could see military action in Afghanistan or Iraq within 12 months.
As a cornet – as 2nd lieutenants are referred to in the Household Cavalry’s Blues and Royals – Prince Harry will serve in an armoured reconnaissance unit and train to become a troop commander, in charge of 11 men and four light tanks.
Yesterday his grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, father, the Prince of Wales, stepmother, the Duchess of Cornwall and brother, Prince William, who is also training at Sandhurst, watched as Prince Harry followed in the footsteps of the wartime prime minister Winston Churchill and Bond creator Ian Fleming by taking part in Sandhurst’s passing-out parade.
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The monarch inspected the officers as the National Anthem played. She passed through the lines chatting and gave a beaming smile when she reached Prince Harry. In return, he gave a big grin and his cheeks flushed.
The Queen then addressed the newly commissioned officers on the importance of leadership. She told them in her speech: “If you look at the careers of successful officers, you will find that, no matter how clever they have been, what really matters is how they related to people under their command. It is an art, not a science, and it needs constant attention and refinement to achieve the highest standards. It was not by chance that the motto chosen for the Royal Military Academy is ‘serve to lead’.”
She then said: “This is just the end of the beginning and many of you will deploy on operations within months or even weeks.”
What next for the young prince? Possibly an assignment in-theater, a far cry from his recent days enjoying a different kind of theater.