Prince Charles reflects on his concern over Harry’s time in the army
As he celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Army Air Corps, Prince Charles spoke candidly about the fears he had for Harry during his military service.
The next-in-line to the throne, decked out in his tropical service dress and AAC blue beret, addressed soldiers at a presentation in the grounds of Salisbury Cathedral yesterday.
“As the father of a former Army Air Corps pilot myself, I am very much aware of the mixed emotions of pride and concern involved in your children embarking on helicopter training and operations,” he confessed. “I have no doubt that it is the unfaltering support, provided by those at home, that allows our soldiers to manage so well when the going gets tough.”
Prince Harry entered the military in 2005, undergoing an intense 44-week training course at Sandhurst College. He fought on the front line in Afghanistan on two occasions – once as a forward air controller in 2007 and again in 2012, flying the Apache attack helicopter after retraining with the Army Air Corps. He left the AAC in 2014 to focus on his charity work and the Invictus Games.
Charles himself had been the Colonel-in-Chief of the AAC for 25 years. “Army aviation has evolved continuously and has played a vital role in many of the key operations worldwide,” he said. “The campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan have demonstrated the decisive contribution that soldiers in the air can make to the outcome of the land-air battle.”
Image: UK Press/Getty.