Sixty Joyless De-Britished Uncrowned Commonpoor Years (1949-2009)

Elizabeth II Vice-Regal Saint: Remembering Paul Comtois (1895–1966), Lt.-Governor of Québec
Britannic Inheritance: Britain's proud legacy. What legacy will America leave?
English Debate: Daniel Hannan revels in making mince meat of Gordon Brown
Crazy Canucks: British MP banned from Canada on national security grounds
Happy St. Patrick's: Will Ireland ever return to the Commonwealth?
Voyage Through the Commonwealth: World cruise around the faded bits of pink.
No Queen for the Green: The Green Party of Canada votes to dispense with monarchy.
"Sir Edward Kennedy": The Queen has awarded the senator an honorary Knighthood.
President Obama: Hates Britain, but is keen to meet the Queen?
The Princess Royal: Princess Anne "outstanding" in Australia.
H.M.S. Victory: In 1744, 1000 sailors went down with a cargo of gold.
Queen's Commonwealth: Britain is letting the Commonwealth die.
Justice Kirby: His support for monarchy almost lost him appointment to High Court
Royal Military Academy: Sandhurst abolishes the Apostles' Creed.
Air Marshal Alec Maisner, R.I.P. Half Polish, half German and 100% British.
Cherie Blair: Not a vain, self regarding, shallow thinking viper after all.
Harry Potter: Celebrated rich kid thinks the Royals should not be celebrated
The Royal Jelly: A new king has been coronated, and his subjects are in a merry mood
Victoria Cross: Australian TROOPER MARK DONALDSON awarded the VC
Godless Buses: Royal Navy veteran, Ron Heather, refuses to drive his bus
Labour's Class War: To expunge those with the slightest pretensions to gentility
100 Top English Novels of All Time: The Essential Fictional Library
BIG BEN: Celebrating 150 Years of the Clock Tower

Saturday 16 December 2006

Our future King receives Her Majesty's commission

The Sovereign's Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, 15 December 2006

Prince William passed out as a newly commissioned officer at a ceremony which The Queen referred to as a 'mile-stone day'.
His Royal Highness was amongst almost 500 cadets who took part in the parade, including 78 women and 39 cadets from overseas.
Her Majesty, who is Head of the Armed forces, was Reviewing Officer, as she had been at Prince Harry's passing out parade earlier in the year. The ceremony was also attended by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.Following the parade, Her Majesty made a speech congratulating the new officers and reflecting on the challenges which lay ahead for them:

For those who are to be commissioned today, and those who will shortly follow, a great deal will be expected of you. You must be courageous yet selfless; leaders yet carers; confident yet considerate.

After the ceremony, The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Princes of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall joined other officer cadets and their guests for lunch in Old College. 
Like his brother Prince Harry before him, Prince William will now join the Blues and Royals regiment within the Household Cavalry, as a Second Lieutenant. Princes William and Harry join a long line of members of the Royal family who have served in the Armed forces. Their father, The Prince of Wales, uncle, The Duke of York and grandfather, The Duke of Edinburgh, all had careers in the Navy. The Duke of Edinburgh was present in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese signed the surrender at the end of World War II, whilst The Duke of York served in the Falklands conflict as a pilot.The tradition of the Sovereign's Parade was begun by The Queen's father, King George VI, who acted as Reviewing Officer at the first parade at Sandhurst in 1948. The Queen has acted as the Reviewing Officer at Sandhurst in 1949, 1965, 1985 and 1991.

1 comments:

mrcawp said...

What an example to set his generation! We are a generally lazy, unpatriotic, frivolous bunch: for this god of the tabloids to be so untabloidish is brilliant, and should hopefully stir a few out of the vulgar orthodoxies of the age.