In a historic moment, King Charles made a grand return to Britannia Royal Naval College after 54 years.
On Friday, December 19, the 77-year-old monarch, as Lord High Admiral, made a momentous homecoming to share some heartfelt words with the graduating officers at the Lord High Admiral’s parade.
At the esteemed ceremony, the King addressed the gathered officer cadets by expressing his pleasure to be there to celebrate their graduation, applauding that they had shown their readiness to serve the country to a high standard.
Reflecting on his own experience, His Majesty admitted feeling “somewhat alarmed” that it has been over 50 years since he stood in their place, GB News reported.
"It has been some 54 years since I stood where you are, as part of Blake Division," said Charles.
While flashing back to numerous memories from his training days, including steering picket boats on the River Dart and avoiding enthusiastic yacht owners, King Charles fondly recalled the experiences and lessons he learned as a young cadet.
He went on to make a major personal revelation, sharing about his “desperate” efforts to avoid becoming a tabloid sensation during his time at the college.
"I 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," shared the monarch.
King Charles joined Britannia Royal Naval College 54 years ago, on September 16, 1971, as a member of the Blake Division.
As a graduate entrant, he spent six weeks at Dartmouth, learning about leadership, navigation and the ways of the Royal Navy.
