From the day Prince George was born, it’s been his future that, on accession as King, he’ll turn out to be Commander-in-Chief of Britain’s Armed Forces. When the time comes, King George VII – if that’s to be his title – would be the solely particular person capable of declare struggle and peace, albeit on the recommendation of Ministers.
In flip, all British Military recruits swear an oath of allegiance to the Crown, saying they’ll ‘truthfully and faithfully defend His Majesty, his heirs and successors in particular person, crown and dignity, towards all enemies’.
On the coronary heart of this mutual harmony is the Royal Family itself, the embodiment of public service, of sacrifice and of particular person dedication to a larger collective good. What’s extra, George’s ancestors have all the time been distinctly martial, even bloodthirsty.
For the Windsors sit on the British throne solely by means of proper of conquest.
Had William the Conqueror not fought at Hastings, or Henry Tudor at Bosworth, our Royal Household’s historical past would have been very totally different.
DOMINIC SANDBROOK: George’s father was within the Armed Forces for greater than seven years, passing by means of Sandhurst and dealing as a search-and-rescue pilot for the RAF
DOMINIC SANDBROOK: From the day Prince George was born, it’s been his future that, on accession as King, he’ll turn out to be Commander-in-Chief of Britain’s Armed Forces
For hundreds of years, its legitimacy has gone hand-in-hand with army prowess.
We bear in mind Henry V as a dashing hero-king for his victory at Agincourt, not for his pudding-bowl haircut. Richard III was the final King to be killed in battle, in 1485. Aged 60, George II led his military into battle in 1743 towards the French at Dettingen, serving to affirm the place of the German-born Hanoverians in British hearts.
Whereas the function of the trendy monarch has advanced, junior Royals have stored up the custom. Victoria’s grandson Prince Maurice was killed within the First World Battle, and the Duke of Kent within the Second. George’s great-grandmother, the late Queen, was the primary feminine member of the Royal Household to be a full-time lively member of the Armed Companies and was Colonel-in-Chief of 16 British Military regiments and corps, in addition to many Commonwealth items.
Prince Andrew served bravely within the Falklands. Prince Harry did his obligation in Afghanistan, claiming that he killed 25 Taliban troopers. He additionally mentioned army service allowed him to be ‘with only a regular bunch of fellows, listening to their issues and to what they assume’.
George’s father was within the Armed Forces for greater than seven years, passing by means of Sandhurst and dealing as a search-and-rescue pilot for the RAF.
There’s good cause for this custom. If the household doesn’t command the nation’s armies, then it’s nothing.
DOMINIC SANDBROOK: George’s great-grandmother, the late Queen, was the primary feminine member of the Royal Household to be a full-time lively member of the Armed Companies
DOMINIC SANDBROOK: Prince Harry did his obligation in Afghanistan, claiming that he killed 25 Taliban troopers
Nonetheless, with warfare turning into more and more professionalised and high-tech, the picture of the Royal Household has reasonably misplaced its martial edge. As with the Church of England, the opposite nice establishment by means of which monarchs as soon as exerted their management, the Military has turn out to be progressively indifferent from our every day lives.
EVEN so, the custom of Royals becoming a member of the Armed Forces, even for transient intervals, lends essential legitimacy to the monarchy. That sense of communal service compelled George VI and his household to stay in London when the bombs have been falling within the Blitz, and that was what his daughter devoted herself to when she grew to become our Queen.
It’s the legacy of a time when the Royal Household encapsulated the values and ambitions of a nation, and when kings and commoners discovered themselves facet by facet within the final ditch. Certainly, it appears unthinkable to count on troopers coming into the British Military to swear allegiance to a monarch with out the sovereign having some thought of what army service entails. Not to mention for that monarch to declare struggle on their behalf.
Navy service is the final custom that takes Royal kids exterior their sheltered lives of not possible privilege.
On Friday, Prince George appeared delighted as he operated the controls of an RAF C-17 Globemaster III throughout a household go to to the Royal Worldwide Air Tattoo in Gloucestershire. The expertise could have given him an urge for food for a future profession within the army.
George could also be too younger now to know the gravity of his function. Maybe, sooner or later, he could resolve that he too needs to proceed within the army traditions of his ancestors. However occasions change, and establishments change with them. And on condition that he’s not prone to succeed till the second half of this century, who can blame him if he would reasonably pursue a unique vocation? An astronaut, maybe – or an AI designer?
lDominic Sandbrook hosts the podcast The Relaxation Is Historical past.
