Prince Harry stood tall with saber(军刀) drawn during ceremonies marking his graduation from Britain’s elite (精英) military, marching proudly in front of his beaming grandmother, Queen ElizabethⅡ, as he completed 40 weeks of training.
The 21-year-old second son of Prince Charles entered Sandhurst Military Academy in May 2005 and trained to become an army officer in the Blues and Royals regiment of the Household Cavalry, one of the British army’s oldest units.
Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke of Edinburgh, looked on with pride as the cadets paraded around the academy’s grounds about 40 miles southwest of London. The Queen, in a peach overcoat and matching hat, delivered a short 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 relate to people under their command,” she said.
She noted that preparing to be an officer was more than learning some basic military procedures – but rather the first step in becoming a leader.
As the new officers marched past the Queen, his brother, Prince William, and other new cadets saluted. As other officers approached, the order of “Eyes right!” was shouted, and Harry snapped his neck to look at his grandmother.
About 450 cadets took part in the ceremony.
The training course, which was set in east Sussex woodland, was designed to allow Sandhurst officials to assess (评估) their new cadets’ long-term endurance (耐力) and ability to work in a team.
The young royal, known to his comrades as Officer Cadet Wales, had spent four nights sleeping outdoors practicing battlefield techniques.
A former recruit, who had got the same training, described the self-reliance exercise as “hard work”. He said, “They are extremely tough and challenging days.”