Commando King! Charles takes a trip down memory lane on visit to a Royal Marine centre where he trained as a helicopter pilot in 1974
The King looked cheerful on Friday as he returned to the Royal Marines training base where he completed his helicopter pilot training 50 years ago.
Charles, 76, arrived at the Commando Training Center Royal Marines at Lympstone, near Exeter, Devon, to meet successful recruits and present special awards.
He visited the training center fifty years ago and completed three-day commando training there as part of his pilot training in 1974.
His Majesty was shown a photo of himself tackling the high ropes at the training center as he watched recruits perform the same maneuver.
The King, Captain General of the Royal Marines, met his troops and presented the King’s Badge and a Green Beret to two trainees, Osian Stephens from Colwyn, North Wales and Joseph Ryan from Merseyside.
It was the first time a king had presented the badge since his grandfather, King George VI, in 1939. It is awarded to the recruit considered the most impressive of those undergoing training.
He also met 100-year-old D-Day veteran Norman Ashford, a landing craft helmsman who made numerous runs on Gold Beach.
Mr Ashford said: ‘It was a great honor to meet the King, I’ve never met a royal family before and I just turned 100 on the 10th. It was a great pleasure to be back at the Commando Training Center.”
The King appeared in good spirits today as he arrived at the Royal Marines Commando Training Center at Lympstone in Devon
He added that he had spoken to the king about where he landed on D-Day and that he hopes to go to Normandy next year to mark the anniversary again.
Addressing the recruits, he said: ‘As your Captain General, I can only express my pride in each and every one of you, along with my admiration for completing such a demanding course.
“We are fortunate to be able to rely on you, as well as the families here today who support you so loyally.”
Marine Stephens, 20, was selected for the King’s Badge after completing his training, despite previously suffering a serious injury.
After 10 months of recovery, he resumed training this fall and completed his final five weeks to earn the badge.
‘This moment will stay with me forever. I know that the last time a king awarded the King’s Badge was in 1939. “It’s quite frightening to think that I will be only the second Royal Marine to enjoy that honour,” he said.
‘The hardest part of my training was definitely when I got injured, a real shock when I suffered a leg injury after doing so well for so long. But with determination I took the blow, got back up and got myself back to where I wanted to be.”
Marine Ryan was victorious after suffering a long-term shoulder injury late in training and spent five months recovering and rehabbing.
His Majesty also visited some of the facilities where he trained as a helicopter pilot in 1974 (pictured)
King Charles III, then Prince of Wales, during a ‘familiarisation’ training in 1974 at the Commando Training Center Royal Marines
King Charles salutes during a visit to the Royal Marines Commando Training Center
Marine Ryan, 20, was awarded the Commando Medal for embodying the commando spirit and ethos during his conversion from civilian to Royal Marine.
To recognize that achievement, he was chosen to receive his green beret, the headgear of the Commandos, from the king.
“It’s great to receive my green beret from the King, honestly the greatest honor I could ever receive. I am very aware that no one in the Royal Marines has been given their beret by the monarch, I am so proud. It is a great honor,” said Marine Ryan.
“The boys in the troop were brilliant, they really were a great bunch of lads, we have been through so much together in the last few weeks.”
It comes after the King celebrated his 76th birthday on Thursday by opening the first of his two new Coronation Food Hubs, as the Royal Family wished him a happy birthday.
The monarch headed to Deptford in south London to formally unveil the first hub, tour the center with London Mayor Sadiq Khan and attend a surplus food festival.
The king appeared cheerful as he smiled and received a kiss from a worker. Royal superfan John Loughrey stood with a card and a bouquet of flowers in front of Charles, who was accompanied by Sir Kenneth Olisa, the Lord Lieutenant of Greater London.
Pupils from Rye Oak Primary School in nearby Peckham led the happy birthday singing for Charles, with six-year-old Zariah presenting the monarch with a card.
King Charles III, as Captain General of the Royal Marines, awards Marine Osian Stephens the King’s Badge
The King presents Marine Joseph Ryan with the Commando Medal during a visit to the Commando Training Center Royal Marines
King Charles III, then Prince of Wales, in his flying overalls after landing his Wessex V helicopter on the parade ground of the Commando Training Center Royal Marines
King Charles III (fourth from right), then Prince of Wales, during a ‘familiarisation’ training in 1974 at the Commando Training Center Royal Marines
Project chair Dame Martina Milburn, Baroness Louise Casey and other representatives of the charities involved also met Charles. Volunteers from the Felix Project, who will run the Deptford hub, waved flags and cheered as the King arrived.
Thursday marks the first anniversary of the launch of its Coronation Food Project, which aims to bridge the gap between food needs and food waste amid the cost of living.
The king’s engagement was a solo engagement, with Queen Camilla, who had hoped to join him, still recovering from a nasty respiratory infection. He later virtually opened a second hub in Knowsley, Merseyside – with three more hubs due to open in the coming year.
Earlier in the day, the monarchy’s social media accounts posted a birthday message with a formal portrait of Charles in the White Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace.
Prince William and Kate’s Report shared a photo of the relaxed-looking monarch wearing sunglasses and a bunting during his royal trip to Samoa last month.
The photo was taken as he opened The King’s Garden at a museum in Apia, and the message read: ‘Wishing His Majesty the King a very happy birthday!’
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also tweeted a message saying: ‘Sending His Majesty The King my very best wishes on his birthday today. Many happy returns.”