Prince Harry to train with Australian Army

Prince Harry will arrive in Australia next week for a four week military attachment with the Australian Army.

Prince Harry
It's no ordinary Royal tour.

Last minute preparations are under way for next Monday's arrival of Britain's Prince Harry in Australia, where the 30-year-old will train with Special forces and go on patrol with Aboriginal soldiers.

The fourth in line to the British throne is about to begin a four week military attachment with the Australian Army, during which he will be known by his other title, Captain Wales.

A Commissioned Officer of the British Household Cavalry, Prince Harry has sought an embed in Australia for several years.

It will be his third time in Australia and his second military exchange after a previous attachment with the Canadian military.

A challenging program covering Northern Territory bush patrols and training with Australia's elite commandos, the SAS has been created for the Royal.

Defence and Palace officials hope he will be treated just like any other soldier. He will spend time at Army barracks in Perth, Darwin and Sydney.

The only public event will be on Monday morning at the War Memorial in Canberra. Prince Harry will meet Governor-General Peter Cosgrove, lay a wreath in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, tour galleries and greet the public, before officially reporting for duty as Captain Wales.

A spokesman for the Prince says he has huge admiration and respect for the Australian Defence Force. "Prince Harry is tremendously looking forward to starting his four week attachment with the ADF,” he added. 

“It has been an opportunity he has been keen to explore for a couple of years now and is delighted to be able to do it before completing his military service with the British Armed Forces later this year,” the spokesman said.

"He knows he will learn a huge amount from Australian colleagues during this attachment."

On 17th of March, Kensington Palace announced that Prince Harry was leaving the Armed Forces after a ten-year full time military career.

The qualified Apache helicopter pilot and veteran of two deployments in Afghanistan is said to be also hoping to share some of his knowledge and experiences, as well as learning how wounded, injured and ill servicemen and women are supported in Australia.

The Prince has trained and served alongside Australian Armed Forces in Afghanistan, met them during the Invictus Games and trekked to the South Pole in 2013 with a couple of Australian soldiers for the charity, Walking With The Wounded.

Prince Harry will break the embed for an official trip with his father, the Prince of Wales, to the Anzac Day dawn service at Gallipoli.


Share

3 min read

Published

Updated

By Karen Barlow

Source: SBS


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world