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| Britain's Prince William, centre, is greeted by Major General Andrew Ritchie, the Commandant of Sandhurst, as he arrives with his father, the Prince of Wales, right, at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, southern England, at the start of his Army Officer training Sunday Jan. 8, 2005. |
Prince William launched his army career on Sunday when he entered the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.
Thesecond-in-lineto the British throne is following younger brother Prince Harry into the elite academy to train to become an officer.
William, 23, arrived with his father, Britain's Prince Charles, at the site in Camberley, southern England, looking a bit apprehensive on the first day of his one-year training course.
Last October William passed the Regular Commissions Board exams -- a series of tests and tasks togaugethe ability of candidates to meet the mental, physical and emotional demands facing army officers -- to gain entry to the academy.
"I am absolutely delighted to have got over the first hurdle, but I amonly toowell aware, having spoken so much to Harry, that this is just the beginning," he said.
"I am really looking forward to taking my place alongside all the other cadets at Sandhurst."
William has the prospect of eventually becoming Commander in Chief of Britain's armed forces -- the role traditionally occupied by the monarch.
The academy's commandant, General Andrew Ritchie, jokingly warned of tough times ahead.
"They have been used to working for four hours a day and sleeping for 20, and we reverse that," he said.
In 2004, when William announced he was considering joining the army, he said he would not expect or accept special treatment.
"The last thing I want to be is mollycoddled or wrapped up in cotton wool," he said. "If I was to join the army, I would want to go where my men went and I would want to do what they did."
Harry, 21, who entered Sandhurst last year and will therefore initially be senior to William, has joked that he was looking forward to his elder brother having to salute him.
(Agencies)
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上周日，威廉王子正式加入号称"英国西点"的桑德赫斯特皇家军事学院，从此开始了他的军事生涯。
继弟弟哈里王子后，这位英国王室的第二王位继承人也将在这所"精英院校"接受培训成为一名军官。
今年23岁的威廉王子和他的父亲查尔斯王储一同来到这所位于英国南部坎巴利的学校，他将在这里接受一年的培训，在入学的第一天，他显得有点不安和担忧。
去年10月，威廉通过正规军服役委员会的考试后，被桑德赫斯特皇家军事学院录取。此项考试包括一系列的测试和任务，旨在评估应试者在智力、生理和情感上是否符合军官的要求。
威廉王子说，"我很高兴自己闯过了第一关，但是通过与弟弟哈里多次交谈后，我也非常清楚入学只是考验的开始。"
"我真的很期待和桑德赫斯特的其他同学一起'并肩战斗'。"
威廉有望成为英国的三军总司令，这个职位长期以来都是由君主执掌的。
军校司令安德鲁·里奇将军打趣说，苦日子还在后面呢。
他说："他们都习惯了一天工作4个小时，睡20个小时的日子。而我们将把这颠倒过来。"
2004年，威廉王子宣布考虑参军时就说过他不期待也不会接受特殊待遇。
他说，"我最不想变成一个娇生惯养的人，像温室里的花朵一样。如果我要参军，我会和其他士兵们同甘共苦，并肩战斗。"
21岁的哈里王子去年考入桑德赫斯特军校，所以他事实上是威廉王子的学长，他开玩笑说，他期待着哥哥向他敬礼。
(中国日报网站编译)
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Updated: 2006-01-10 09:12
