Prince of Wales Charles and Duchess of Cornwall Camilla Thursday visited the Indian Military Academy, established by the British rulers in 1932, which is today counted among the premier military training institutions of the world.
The Prince and the Duchess were accorded a Guard of Honour and were taken around the sprawling complex where Prince Charles took special interest in the training module of the Gentlemen Cadets while Duchess Camilla admired the equestrian wing. The Royal couple was also taken to the Vikram Batra Mess where the Prince interacted with the Gentlemen Cadets of IMA as well as the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), another premier military training school set up by the British in 1922.
He urged the cadets to work to lessen the impact of the Uttarakhand disaster. The Prince showed special interest in the routine of the cadets and asked questions about the drill, sports and holidays among others. He also observed that they came from diverse backgrounds and asked some of them about the places they hailed from.
IMA Commandant lt. Gen. Manvendra Singh, while welcoming the Prince, stressed that his visit would further strengthen the historic and strong bonds between the two nations who also shared high military values. The Prince was presented with the photos of the iconic institutions of the IMA and RIMC as well as a silver plaque as memento. Prince Charles presented the IMA Commandant with a shining sword. Meanwhile, Duchess Camilla was apprised of the relief works carried out by the NGOs during the recent disaster and their further plans to rehabilitate the victims.
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visited the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun on Thursday. At the very outset, they were given an impressive welcome at the main entrance to the Institution and led through the haloed portals of the iconic Chetwode Building to the Commandant’s office where They had a fruitful interaction with IMA Commandant lt Gen Manvender Singh and Ranjana Singh, the ‘First Couple’ of the Academy.