The Prince of Wales was on hand to celebrate Royal Air Force officers and aviators who graduated during the coronavirus pandemic and were not allowed guests to witness their ceremonies.
Prince Charles attended the RAF College Combined Parade at RAF College Cranwell on Friday in his role as Marshal of the Royal Air Force, reviewing graduates from RAF Cranwell and RAF Halton.
According to Clarence House, the RAF College Combined Parade featured 600 RAF Aviators who graduated during the pandemic, along with 1,500 guests who were not permitted to attend the graduation ceremonies at the time. Prince Charles was accompanied by the Chief of the Defence Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff at the Combined Parade.
Upon arrival, Prince Charles received the Royal Salute and watched a fly past before reviewing a group of aviators on the Parade Ground. He also attended a reception to meet with officers and aviators and their families.
In a speech, Prince Charles praised the aviators and officers for completing their work during the pandemic. He said, “If I may say so, I was immensely impressed that you were all able to continue with your courses and successfully graduate, given all the complexities. I know that this will not have been easy and at the end of the day is a great testament to the flexibility and determination of both the staff and every one of you.
“This same dedication, adaptability and willingness continually to push yourselves will be required time after time in your future careers, as I have no doubt you are already experiencing. The same high standards that you demonstrated throughout your training will form the basis of safe and effective operations in the future, no matter what your role in the Royal Air Force.”
Prince Charles had previously attended a socially-distanced graduation ceremony in July 2020 at RAF College Cranwell.
To end his speech, Prince Charles wished all the aviators and officers good luck with their postings, saying: “Within months, many of you will already be deployed, protecting United Kingdom interests, reassuring our allies and deterring our adversaries. I can only wish each and everyone of you every possible success and good fortune as you embark on your future service to this nation. We are fortunate indeed to be able to rely on you…”
