For the first time in over 70 years, British Army Officer Cadets have sworn their oaths of allegiance to a King.
218 Officer Cadets at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst recently swore their allegiance to The King as they embark on their Army careers via the Regular Commissioning Course.
Known as the Attestation Ceremony, each Officer Cadet read aloud their promise to be loyal to the monarch:
"I swear by almighty God that I will be faithful, and bear true allegiance to his Majesty King Charles III, his heirs and successors, and that I will as in duty bound, honestly and faithfully defend his Majesty, his heirs and successors in person, crown and dignity, against all enemies, and will observe and obey all orders of His Majesty, his heirs and successors and the generals and officers set over me."
The average age of the intake is 24 years old, with the youngest cadet being 18 years old and the oldest cadet 30 years old.
Officer Cadet Wiltshire, aged 24, from Devon, said:
“As the first intake of Officers in 70 years to be swearing our oath of allegiance to The King, we are truly living through a key moment in history. Although the occasion is bittersweet as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was an exemplary ruler and Commander-in-Chief, the public reaction in the aftermath of her death has really reinforced the place that the royal family holds at the centre of Britain.
This is a new era and it is exciting to be a part of it, especially with the close ties the Royal Family hold with the military.
“This is a new era and it is exciting to be a part of it, especially with the close ties the Royal Family hold with the military. It was a great honour and a privilege to swear allegiance to and eventually commission into His Majesty The King’s Army.”
For the last seven decades, Officer Cadets have passed out from Sandhurst with the honour of being awarded the Queen’s Commission. With the recent proclamation of King Charles III as monarch this has now changed to the King’s Commission.
The Officer Cadets will now undertake 44 weeks of training which will culminate in a passing out parade known as the Sovereign’s Parade.
When Her Majesty The Queen was unable to attend the Sovereign’s Parade, other heads of state, senior military and political figures stepped in as the Sovereign’s Representative.
Reflecting the close ties with the Commonwealth and other partner countries, Her Majesty was most recently represented by Chief of Army Staff, Pakistan Army, General Qamar Javed Bajwa in August and Chief of Staff of the United States Army, General James C. McConville in April of this year.
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, as a world-renowned centre of excellence in leadership training, includes many heads of state from Commonwealth nations and key allies among its alumni, such as their Royal Highnesses Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei, and the late King George Tupou V of Tonga.
