HRH Duke of Cambridge 30th

Jersey Post is delighted to celebrate the 30th birthday of HRH The Duke of Cambridge on 21st June 2012 by issuing a set of four stamps which reflect his military connections and achievements. As second in lineto the British Throne, The Duke of Cambridge will, one day, become Head of the British Armed Forces.Recently serving as a fully operational RAF Search and Rescue Pilot, The Duke still holds his officercommissions in the Royal Navy and the Army. He also holds various honorary titles which have beenbestowed upon him by HM The Queen.British ArmyPrince William joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as an Officer Cadet in January 2006 and wascommissioned as an Army Officer in the presence of HM The Queen just 11 months later in December2006. He then joined the Household Cavalry ʻBlues and Royalsʼ, following the path of his younger brother,Prince Harry, and rose to the rank of Lieutenant. The stamp features Prince William at Prince HarryʼsPassing Out Parade at Sandhurst in April 2006.Royal Air ForceFrom the Blues and Royals, Prince William embarked on an intensive training course at Royal Air ForceCollege Cranwell and received his RAF wings in April 2008 from his father, HRH The Prince of Wales.Flight Lieutenant Wales undertook further helicopter flying and advanced training to graduate from the RSFSearch and Rescue Conversion Course. At the time of writing, The Duke is based at RAF Valley inAnglesey, Wales as a pilot with the RAFʼs Search and Rescue Force (SARF). He was appointed HonoraryAir Commandant of Royal Air Force Coningsby in October 2008.Royal NavyPrince William spent four months on secondment to the Royal Navy in 2008 and, during that time, was ona one month posting with the frigate HMS Iron Duke. The ship was patrolling the warmer climes of theCaribbean when Sub-lieutenant Wales took part in a massive drugs capture. HMS Iron Duke was madeʻJerseyʼs warshipʼ in 2010 when she was officially affiliated to the island. She made her first visit to Jerseyin November 2011. The Duke of Cambridge has been Commodore in Chief for Scotland and alsoCommodore in Chief for Submarines since 2006.Irish GuardsPrince William was appointed Colonel of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards, his first honorary appointment inthe Army, by HM The Queen in February 2011. It is the first time that the position has been held bymember of the Royal Family. When The Duke of Cambridge married Miss Catherine Middleton on 29thApril 2011, he chose to wear the striking red Irish Guards Officerʼs tunic as it was his highest rankingposition

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