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An Iron Will

by | 12th, November 2004

‘IF Prince Harry thought life at Sandhurst Royal Military Academy was all painting and photography, he’s in for a shock.

A study in still life

The Guardian tells its readers that Sandhurst plans to make a man out of Harry.

And, as one of his fellow old Etonians, a Nicholas Tobin tells him: “The most important thing is to bring a good iron and a board.”

Or, a good ironer and a man with a ram-rod straight back selected from granny’s household guard. Or what about that nice Mr Paul Burrell?

Stephanie Green, another of the college’s students, tells Harry more about the regime he can expect to be indoctrinated into.

“You are not allowed to listen to any music,” says she. “The only radio you can turn on is Radio 4, all the rooms will be identical, you’re inspected all the time and you learn to eat very quickly.”

Add in some cold baths and lots of being shouted at, and it all sounds not unlike living in a residential home for the elderly.

But, of course, it’s not, because there’s no soap at Sandhurst, something the aforesaid Ms Green tells us the “girls miss”, although some of the girls and boys do bring in cuddly toys.

This, of course, is all news for the Guardian’s readership, which is more likely to be found within a tanktop than a tank.

It’s a different story in the Telegraph, where the paper’s legion of readers know a thing or two about Army life.

So the paper sees little need in telling them about conditions within Sandhurst, preferring instead to hear from the college’s commandant, Major-General Andrew Ritchie.

He has a few words of his own for Prince Harry and says that he takes a very dim view of naughtiness.

“I have removed certain candidates from Sandhurst as their behaviour is not up to the standard of an officer and I would do so again.”

This is a thinly veiled warning to Harry, who has found himself in a few spots of bother over recent times.

And he’d best take care because in the first few weeks, he can expect to be subject to a random drugs test.

And if he can’t identity three types of marijuana in ten seconds, he might well be out on his ear…’



Posted: 12th, November 2004 | In: Uncategorized Comment | TrackBack | Permalink