• King Charles III inspects the 200th Sovereign's Parade at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Camberley, England. Getty Images
    King Charles III inspects the 200th Sovereign's Parade at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Camberley, England. Getty Images
  • The parade marks the end of 44 weeks of training for 171 cadets. It is the first time King Charles has inspected Sovereign's Parade at Sandhurst since becoming the UK's head of state. AFP
    The parade marks the end of 44 weeks of training for 171 cadets. It is the first time King Charles has inspected Sovereign's Parade at Sandhurst since becoming the UK's head of state. AFP
  • The new 'colours' of the king are paraded. AFP
    The new 'colours' of the king are paraded. AFP
  • King Charles inspects Officer Cadets. PA
    King Charles inspects Officer Cadets. PA
  • King Charles inspects Officer Cadets. Getty Images
    King Charles inspects Officer Cadets. Getty Images
  • The king joked with cadets. Getty Images
    The king joked with cadets. Getty Images
  • The king presented an award to the winner of The International Sword, Officer Cadet Al Sabah of Kuwait. AFP
    The king presented an award to the winner of The International Sword, Officer Cadet Al Sabah of Kuwait. AFP
  • The king presented Sword of Honour to Cadet Jenkins. AFP
    The king presented Sword of Honour to Cadet Jenkins. AFP
  • King Charles inspects Officer Cadets. Getty Images
    King Charles inspects Officer Cadets. Getty Images
  • Officer Cadets give three cheers to the king. PA
    Officer Cadets give three cheers to the king. PA
  • Graduating cadets. Getty Images
    Graduating cadets. Getty Images
  • Graduating cadets. AFP
    Graduating cadets. AFP

King Charles attends first Sandhurst parade as monarch


Thomas Harding
  • English
  • Arabic

King Charles III made history by attending his first commissioning parade as sovereign at Sandhurst on Friday.

The monarch also gave the military academy the honour of being the first unit to receive new colours bearing his unique “CRIII” cypher.

A Kuwaiti soldier, Officer Cadet Jabar Alasabah, also received the “International Sword” awarded to the overseas cadet considered by Sandhurst’s commandant to be the best of their intake.

Addressing the 600 cadets on parade and their families looking on from the stands, the king recalled his own experiences at Sandhurst.

“I think I have some idea of the challenges which are inherent of military training,” he told them during a murky, overcast day.

The King's new colours with the 'CRIII' cypher are paraded during the inspection of the 200th Sovereign's parade at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Getty
The King's new colours with the 'CRIII' cypher are paraded during the inspection of the 200th Sovereign's parade at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Getty

“I have experienced the nerves, exhaustion even the self-doubt, but despite such recollections it is the lifelong friendships which are forged through shared hardship and the humour that you find in the darkest hours of the coldest and wettest nights which remain with you.”

The monarch also referred to the Ukraine conflict, which he described as a war not seen on such a scale in Europe since 1945.

King Charles III holds an audience with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Buckingham Palace in February this year during the Ukraine leader's first visit to Britain since the Russian invasion. Getty
King Charles III holds an audience with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Buckingham Palace in February this year during the Ukraine leader's first visit to Britain since the Russian invasion. Getty

“I am particularly impressed and proud of the role the British Army alongside wider Defence has played in supporting Ukraine,” he said. “The UK has been a leading nation in delivering training expertise, equipment, and advice. Through discussions I had with President Zelenskyy I have learnt at first-hand about this support. For as long as the conflict endures you will, no doubt, have some part to play in our unrelenting support.”

The ceremony was also attended by Jordan's King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Hussein Bin Abdullah, who are both Sandhurst graduates.

King Abdullah presented the academy’s Al Hussein Medal, awarded to the non-British cadet who showed the most significant improvement in performance during training, to Bahraini Officer Cadet Sheikh Al Waleed Khalid Ahmed Al Khalifa

He also met King Charles and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg on the sidelines of the ceremony.

  • Jordan's King Abdullah II, accompanied by Crown Prince Al Hussein, meets with Britain's King Charles III and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, on the sidelines of Sandhurst’s 200th Sovereign’s Parade in the UK. All photos: Royal Hashemite Court
    Jordan's King Abdullah II, accompanied by Crown Prince Al Hussein, meets with Britain's King Charles III and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, on the sidelines of Sandhurst’s 200th Sovereign’s Parade in the UK. All photos: Royal Hashemite Court
  • King Abdullah presents Sandhurst’s Al Hussein Medal to Bahraini Officer Cadet Sheikh Al Waleed Khalid Ahmed Al Khalifa, awarded to non-British cadets who showed the most significant improvement in performance during training
    King Abdullah presents Sandhurst’s Al Hussein Medal to Bahraini Officer Cadet Sheikh Al Waleed Khalid Ahmed Al Khalifa, awarded to non-British cadets who showed the most significant improvement in performance during training
  • King Abdullah and Crown Prince Al Hussein, pictured centre
    King Abdullah and Crown Prince Al Hussein, pictured centre
  • The parade marks the end of 44 weeks of training for 171 cadets
    The parade marks the end of 44 weeks of training for 171 cadets
  • King Abdullah graduated from Sandhurst in 1981
    King Abdullah graduated from Sandhurst in 1981

Friday's ceremony also marked the 200th anniversary of the academy’s commissioning parade, along with the 40,000th officer cadet to pass out from the academy since 1947.

The colours, that in earlier conflicts were the flag rallying point for troops on the battlefield, were the first to be presented to the British armed forces bearing the new sovereign’s cypher.

A total of 177 Officer cadets of the Senior Division, including 26 international cadets from 15 countries, passed out to become commissioned officers in either the British army or their own country’s military on Friday.

The king was escorted by the Commandant, Major General Zac Stenning, who previously served on operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. “It was with an immense sense of pride and honour that His Majesty came here to our academy and awarded us colours and a new Sovereign’s Banner, the first for British defence,” he said.

What are NFTs?

Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.

You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”

However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.

This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”

This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
FIXTURES

Nov 04-05: v Western Australia XI, Perth
Nov 08-11: v Cricket Australia XI, Adelaide
Nov 15-18 v Cricket Australia XI, Townsville (d/n)
Nov 23-27: 1ST TEST v AUSTRALIA, Brisbane
Dec 02-06: 2ND TEST v AUSTRALIA, Adelaide (d/n)
Dec 09-10: v Cricket Australia XI, Perth
Dec 14-18: 3RD TEST v AUSTRALIA, Perth
Dec 26-30 4TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Melbourne
Jan 04-08: 5TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Sydney

Note: d/n = day/night

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid

When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

Stree

Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5

Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.

“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.

“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Updated: April 15, 2023, 6:58 AM