King remembers his days at Devon naval college

The King has shared memories of his time in the Navy and trying to avoid becoming “yet another headline” in the tabloids while captaining a ship during a gale.

He shared his experiences at Royal Britannia Naval College in Dartmouth more than 50 years after he trained there.

Giving a speech to 191 cadets he said his time there prepared him for his naval career, during which he took command of a minesweeper.

He said: “I have so many memories of my time here, particularly of driving up and down the Dart in the old picket boats as part of what I now see was a crash course in learning the rules of the road at sea by trying to avoid being mown down by over-enthusiastic yacht owners.”

He reminisced that: “These experiences served me well when, five years later, I ended up commanding one of the last wooden-walled ships in the Royal Navy – the Ton-class minehunter – and desperately tried to avoid becoming yet another headline in the tabloid newspapers by running into the jetty during a berthing operation in a force nine gale.

“This was all character-building stuff, which has stood me in good stead ever since.”

The King spent six weeks at Dartmouth in 1971 as a graduate entrant.

During his time in the the Navy, he qualified as a helicopter pilot in 1974 and joined 845 Naval Air Squadron and his last appointment was in 1976, commanding the coastal minehunter HMS Bronington.

He used his severance pay of £7,400 to establish the Prince’s Trust which aims to improve the lives of disadvantaged young people in the UK.

He told young officers who had concluded their 29-week training: “In facing new threats, risks and challenges, whether around our coastal waters or beyond, above or below the surface, or from the effects of ever-increasing and devastating natural disasters, the Royal Navy is evolving rapidly.”

He said the service was “leading the way” as it embraced new technologies and evaluated systems made possible by AI.

The King added that it was people who delivered success.

“Your role is to lead those people: to inspire and to create the conditions for excellence, in peace and war.”

He concluded: “You are all imbued with the same drive, determination and fighting spirit that have carried your forebears to victory.”

Midshipman Denholm Coxhill, was inspected by the King.

He described his light-hearted exchange about pop music.

“He ended up asking me, ‘So you survived OK?’, then I said, ‘To quote Elton John, I’m still standing’, so I don’t think he’ll forget that one and I’m not going to forget it.”