Buckingham Palace has confirmed that His Majesty The King will preside over the Lord High Admiral’s Divisions at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth today (Friday, December 19).

The engagement will see the King, in his role as Lord High Admiral, attend the parade at the college’s parade ground, accompanied by Captain Andrew Bray.

During the ceremony, the King will take part in the blessing of his new colours and formally entrust the King’s Colour. He will then inspect the front ranks, including the guard, made up of officer cadets from the UK, the Commonwealth and other nations such as Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

The King will also meet members of the Royal Marines Band before presenting prizes to four junior officers. The awards recognise outstanding performance over the past year across all areas of training, as well as commitment to the core values of the Naval Service.

A short address by the King will follow, before he takes the salute from newly commissioned naval officers during the march past.

This visit marks more than 50 years since the King began his own naval training at Dartmouth in September 1971. During his Royal Navy career, he qualified as a helicopter pilot and later commanded the coastal minehunter HMS Bronington before leaving active service in 1976.