Military Career
Military Career
Prince Harry is currently a serving British Army officer with the Blues and Royals, part of The Household Cavalry. He was appointed to the rank of Lieutenant on 13th April 2008. He has just completed more than two months active service with the British Army in Afghanistan.
Prince Harry passed his Regular Commissions Board (RCB), the qualification necessary to train at Sandhurst, in September 2004. The RCB enables senior Army assessors to find those best suited for training. The Board is demanding, and consists of a number of tests and tasks designed to assess mental, physical and emotional aptitude.
After completing a period of work experience, Prince Harry entered The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in May 2005 to begin his training as an Officer Cadet. During the 44-week training course in Camberley, Surrey, Harry was known as Officer Cadet Wales. The course is highly demanding and involves both theory and tough physical training.
On 25th January 2006, Clarence House announced that Prince Harry was to join the Blues and Royals.
Following the successful completion of the course, Prince Harry was Commissioned as an Army officer on Wednesday, 12th April 2006. The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, took the salute at the Sovereign's Parade at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall also attended the Parade to see Prince Harry's Passing Out, as the commissioning is known. Prince William was also there as an officer cadet.
Harry joined his regiment on 8th May 2006, before reporting to The Armour Centre at Bovington in Dorset to begin the Troop Leaders’ Course, his special-to-arm training to become an armoured reconnaissance troop leader. This second phase of his preparatory training included instruction in signals, driving and maintenance, and gunnery.
On completion of the Troop Leaders’ Course in October 2006, Prince Harry rejoined his regiment in Windsor, and is responsible for a troop of 11 soldiers and four Scimitar reconnaissance vehicles.
In May 2007, the Ministry of Defence made a decision about Prince Harry's deployment to Iraq. Click here to read the news story.
Prince Harry also attends ceremonial military occasions. On 10th July 2005, he accompanied The Queen and other members of the Royal Family to the National Commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
In 2007, Prince Harry and his brother Prince William visited the Defence Military Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court in Surrey, to meet injured personnel.
In October 2007, Prince Harry visited Portsmouth as Commodore-in-Chief of Small Ships and Diving. Click here to read the news story.
On 28th February 2008 The Ministry of Defence confirmed, after reports appeared on a US website, that Prince Harry has been serving with the British Army in Afghanistan for more than two months. Click here to view the gallery and click here to read the story.
Clarence House issued the following statement: "Prince Harry is very proud to serve his country on operations alongside his fellow soldiers and to do the job he has been trained for."
On 29th February 2008, the Ministry of Defence made a statement about Prince Harry. Click here to read the statement.
Click here to watch Prince Harry talking about his service in Afghanistan on The Royal Channel on YouTube.
On 27th March 2008, Prince William and Prince Harry became Joint Patrons of the City Salute Appeal, a major open air event organised to celebrate and support this country’s armed forces and their families and to raise money for injured servicemen and women. Click here to visit the website.
On 13th April 2008, Prince Harry was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant with The Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals).