Those who believe in the merits of military training often allude to its character-building qualities. And one person who's learning just how tough Army life can be is Prince William, who has emerged exhausted but otherwise unscathed from an exercise that left a number of his fellow cadets in hospital.
Wills managed to face down the challenge of gruelling chemical warfare manoeuvres despite the fact that nine other recruits collapsed and had to be given first aid. Two of the young soldiers were so overcome by the intense physical challenge they had to be airlifted to hospital for more comprehensive treatment.
The second-in-line was one of 250 trainee officers marching across the Northumbria moors in full nuclear warfare suits on Thursday. Carrying heavy packs and rifles in the intense summer temperatures proved too much for some of the cadets, however. "Prince William was on the same exercise but he was not one of those affected," confirmed a Ministry of Defence spokesman. "The worst affected were suffering from heat exhaustion and had to be airlifted to hospital. They are now under observation."
Officials from Sandhurst Military Academy have meanwhile defended their decision to go ahead with the operation, arguing that the recreation of combat conditions had to be as realistic as possible.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
