Prince Harry, Lt Wales, has been awarded his Flying Wings following completion of the eight-month Army Pilot Course with the Army Aviation centre (AACen) at Middle Wallop.

His wings were presented to him by his father HRH the Prince of Wales, Colonel in Chief of the Army Air Corps, at the Museum of Army Flying also at Middle Wallop.

During his training he has learnt to fly the Firefly fixed wing aircraft and the Squirrel helicopter and has accumulated approximately 220 flying hours.

Lt Wales has been selected from the best the Army Air Corps has to offer to continue his helicopter flying training on Apache attack helicopters.

Prince Harry said: “It is a huge honour to have the chance to train on the Apache, which is an awesome helicopter. There is still a huge mountain for me to climb if I am to pass the Apache training course.

“To be honest, it will be one of the biggest challenges in my life. I am very determined, though, as I do not want to let down the people who have shown faith in my ability to fly this aircraft on operations.

“I am really, really pleased.”

The decision as to which Apache regiment Lt Wales will serve with has not yet been taken. This will be decided by the end of the year with the Army Air Corps’ best interests at heart. Like any soldier Lt Wales remains ready and willing to deploy; however deployment is a matter for the Chain of Command.