|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
Think he might of earnt some of them!
Military Career
The Prince of Wales currently holds the ranks of Admiral in the Royal Navy, Air Chief Marshal in the Royal Air Force and General in the Army.
His Royal Highness began his career in the Armed Services in March 1971, when he started a four-month attachment with the Royal Air Force at Cranwell, Lincolnshire.
The Prince had already gained his private pilot's licence, and flew himself to Cranwell on 8th March, in a twin-engined Basset of The Queen's Flight, to start advanced training to qualify as a jet pilot.
Flight Lieutenant The Prince of Wales was awarded his RAF wings at Cranwell on 20th August 1971.
On 15th September, The Prince joined the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, under the graduate entry scheme, as Acting Sub-Lieutenant. The Duke of Edinburgh, and his great-uncle, Lord Mountbatten, had both been at Dartmouth.
Nearly two months later The Prince flew in a troop-carrying RAF Britannia to join the destroyer HMS Norfolk at Gibraltar. While training for his bridge watch-keeping certificate, The Prince attended a one-day course in escaping from a submarine, at HMS Dolphin, Gosport.
This included an exercise during which he was released from a chamber 100ft below the surface of a water tank. In February 1972, The Prince attended a one-day course in the submarine HMS Churchill.
During the next two and a half years, The Prince attended a four-month course at Portsmouth and served on four more ships. A 1974 Pacific voyage on the frigate HMS Jupiter included calls at Singapore, New Zealand, Tonga, Western Samoa, Honolulu, San Francisco, Acapulco and Bermuda. On 1st May 1973, The Prince of Wales was promoted to Acting Lieutenant.
On 2nd September 1974 The Prince joined the Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton for helicopter flying training before being assigned to 845 Naval Air Squadron as a pilot on board the commando carrier HMS Hermes.
Following a lieutenant's course at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, The Prince was given command of his own ship, the minehunter HMS Bronington, for the final ten months of his active service in the Royal Navy ending on 15th December 1976.
The following January he was promoted to the rank of Commander. He was promoted again on his 40th birthday in 1988, to Captain in the Royal Navy and Group Captain in the Royal Air Force.
On 14th November 1998, the Ministry of Defence announced that The Prince of Wales had been promoted to "2-star" Rank in all three Services of the Armed Forces to coincide with his 50th birthday.
His Royal Highness was again promoted in all three Services on his 54th birthday in 2002 becoming Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy, Air Marshal in the Royal Air Force and Lieutenant General in the Army.
In 2006, The Prince was promoted to Admiral in the Royal Navy, General in the Army and Air Chief Marshal in the Royal Air Force.
The Prince of Wales holds honorary rank and appointments in many branches and regiments of the Armed Services.
On being appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the Parachute Regiment, a few months before he was 30, The Prince asked to take part in the parachute training course.
The Prince felt he could not "look them in the eye" or wear the Parachute Regiment's famous beret and wings badge unless he had done the course, he told his biographer, Jonathan Dimbleby, 15 years later.
"I felt I should lead from the front or at least be able to do some of the things that one expects others to do for the country," said The Prince.
Ships
The Prince of Wales was made Admiral of the Royal Navy in 2006.
By the time he left in 1977, His Royal Highness had completed more than five years active service in the Royal Navy.
By joining The Royal Navy, His Royal Highness was following in the footsteps of his father, The Duke of Edinburgh, grandfather, King George VI and two great-grandfathers. The Prince joined the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, in September 1971 and nearly two months later left to join his first ship. See below for a timeline of The Prince's naval career.
1971
15th September to 29th October - The Prince of Wales was at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, Devon, under the graduate entry scheme, as an Acting Sub-Lieutenant.
5th November - HRH joined HMS Norfolk, a guided missile destroyer.
1972
24th January - HRH attended a one-day course in a submarine escape chamber, HMS Dolphin (a shore establishment at Gosport, Hants).
13th February - HRH attended a one-day course in the submarine HMS Churchill.
14th July - HRH started a four-month course at Portsmouth.
November - HRH joined HMS Minerva, a Leander class frigate.
27th November - HRH joined the minesweeper HMS Glasserton for two weeks while HMS Minerva was undergoing refit.
1973
February - HRH sailed to the West Indies in HMS Minerva
April to May - HRH was seconded to the survey ship HMS Fox on West Indies Station.
1st May - HRH promoted to Acting Lieutenant.
August - HRH returned in late August to the United Kingdom in HMS Minerva.
2nd September until 14th December - HRH pursued a course at Portsmouth.
1974
4th January - HRH joined another Leander class frigate, HMS Jupiter, in Far Eastern waters.
17th August - HRH left HMS Jupiter at Plymouth.
2nd September to 20th January 1975 - HRH joined the Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton for helicopter flying training until 13th December, and then pursued further helicopter training before joining 845 Squadron (Wessex V Commando Support Squadron).
1975
March to June - HRH embarked in HMS Hermes with 845 Squadron (to Caribbean and Eastern Canadian waters).
22nd September - HRH began Lieutenant's course at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich.
1976
12th January - HRH appointed to the minehunter HMS Bronington. Until 6th February he was at the shore establishment HMS Vernon, RN torpedo and submarine diving school, at Portsmouth.
9th February - HRH took up command of HMS Bronington.
15th December - HRH relinquished his command of HMS Bronington, on the final day of his active service in the Royal Navy.
16th December - HRH paid a farewell call on the First Sea Lord.
31st December - HRH ended his terminal leave when he was relieved from active service.
1977
1st January - HRH was promoted to the rank of Commander. By that date The Prince of Wales had completed just over five years' service in the Royal Navy.
2006
14th November - The Prince was promoted to the rank of Admiral in the Royal Navy.
Flying
The Prince of Wales currently holds the rank of Air Chief Marshal in the Royal Air Force.
1968
30th July – The Prince flies a plane for the first time aged 19 - during a series of flights in a dual-control Chipmunk T10 trainer plane at RAF Tangmere in Sussex.
October 1968 to August 1969 - The Prince was taught to fly in a Chipmunk under the auspices of The Queen's Flight. His instructor was Squadron Leader Philip Pinney.
1969
14th January - The Prince’s first solo flight was from RAF Bassingbourn after 14 hours 30 minutes instruction.
2nd August - a year after his first flight, His Royal Highness had logged more than 80 hours in the Chipmunk and had completed all the air and ground syllabus required for the Preliminary Flying Badge normally awarded to members of University Air Squadrons. Although The Prince was not a member of the Cambridge squadron, he was presented with his badge on 2nd August 1969, by the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RAF Training Command.
1970
2nd February - His Royal Highness passed the necessary Board of Trade examinations for a Private Pilot's Licence after graduating to a twin-engined Beagle Bassett, flying mostly from RAF Oakington near Cambridge.
1971
March - The Prince joined No 1 Graduate Entry at RAF Cranwell to undertake his advanced flying training in two Jet Provost Mk 5s, under the guidance of Squadron Leader R E Johns, who had taken over as his instructor that January.
20th August - The Prince was awarded his wings by the Chief of the Air Staff on a parade attended by The Duke of Edinburgh. Because of his flying experience, His Royal Highness entered the Royal Air Force with the rank of Flight Lieutenant and was known as Flight Lieutenant The Prince of Wales.
29th July - towards the end of his stay at Cranwell, The Prince of Wales, accompanied by two fellow cadets, made his first parachute drop from an Andover into Studland Bay, Dorset.
15th September - His Royal Highness joined the Royal Navy and from September 1974 to July 1975 carried out helicopter training on the Wessex before being assigned to 845 Naval Air Squadron as a pilot on board the commando carrier HMS Hermes.
1975
17th October - The Prince of Wales began instruction on the Andovers of The Queen's Flight, and for several years he piloted the aircraft himself during some part of each flight when using an Andover or Wessex for official visits.
1978
April - The Prince became Colonel-in-Chief of the Parachute Regiment in 1977 and completed a parachute course at RAF Brize Norton in April 1978.
1986
November - The Prince undertook a two-day conversion course at RAF Benson, Oxfordshire, to enable him to take the controls of the BAe 146-100 four-engine jets which replaced the propeller-driven Andovers in The Queen's Flight.
1995
July - The Prince of Wales decided that he would no longer pilot royal aircraft.
November - On The Prince's 50th birthday (14th November 1998) the Ministry of Defence announced that His Royal Highness had been promoted to "2-star" Rank in all three Services of the Armed Forces. The Prince was given the rank of Group Captain in the Royal Air Force.
2002
14th November - His Royal Highness was again promoted in all three Services on his 54th birthday in 2002.
Any others that are awarded are usually due to his status as The Prince of Wales and as a matter of centuries old protocol and traditions.
2006
14th November - His Royal Highness was again promoted in all three Services on his 58th birthday in 2006. The Prince now holds the rank of Air Chief Marshal in the Royal Air Force.
WOW that has so got to be the longest answer posted on here...runs around with her pants on her head.
|