Prince Charles' younger son Prince Harry has clarified what his plans for the future are, countering criticism of his initial idea to take off a second 'gap' year before starting a military career.
Since finishing at Eton, Harry has spent part of this year on a ranch in Australia, some time at an orphanage in southern Africa, and, some say, rather a lot of time partying in London.
The Prince, who has passed the first test towards entering the military academy Sandhurst with flying colours, has now revealed that he's ready to get his teeth into his career earlier than had been thought. He will now take further exams and tests with a view to entering Sandhurst in January 2005.
"He felt ready to start his military career," said a royal spokesperson. "He had discussed it with his father and advisers and feels January is the right date for him."
In the intervening months, sporting Harry has plenty of action-packed projects, including spending time on a polo ranch in Argentina to learn more about one of his favourite sports. And over the summer, he'll be training with the Rugby Football Union to become a rugby coach for kids.
If he is accepted for Sandhurst's January intake, Harry will find that at 20, he is a year or two younger than most of the academy's 700 recruits, who tend to be university graduates.
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