High-flying royal Prince Andrew returned to the South Devon naval college where he trained more than 30 years ago to honour the latest generation of officers.
The Duke of York completed his officer training at Dartmouth's Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC) in 1980, going on to fly a Sea King helicopter while serving on HMS Invincible during the Falklands war.
Yesterday the Prince was guest of honour as around 100 newly-qualified Royal Navy officers celebrated their formal commissioning.
The cadets recently completed a demanding 30-week course in order to earn their place in the "Senior Service".
Addressing the parade in bright sunshine the prince recalled memories of his own training at the picturesque college, perched high above the Dart river.
"It is a rare opportunity to come to where I was trained and it always brings back fond memories of all the terrible things that went on here," he joked.
On a more serious note, he told the parade: "Rather than this being the end of something as you pass out, this is the beginning of your careers.
"You now join the fleet, which although reduced in numbers, is as professional now as when it was started so many years ago.''
He also met four Second World War veterans, from Dartmouth, who have recently been awarded the Arctic Star.
Retired Commanders Tommy Handley and Harold Lloyd, retired Lieutenant Freddie Harsant and Sydney Thompson all served on the Arctic Convoys, taking vital supplies to Russia.
