Prince Edward’s Future Undecided, Palace Says

After four months of training, Prince Edward returned Wednesday to his Royal Marines base to ponder his future in the military amid reports he is quitting because the life of a commando is too tough.

Buckingham Palace announced that the 22-year-old prince, Queen Elizabeth II’s youngest son, “is considering his future with the Royal Marines” and that “no decision has yet been made.”

Michael Shea, the queen’s press secretary, issued the statement following a report in Britain’s top-selling tabloid newspaper, the Sun, that Edward cried after making up his mind to quit the force.

The Sun said the prince decided to leave the marines because he found the yearlong training “too tough and demanding.”

Demanding Training

Edward enlisted in the marines after graduating from Cambridge University in June. The training to be a commando includes carrying heavy gear for miles over rugged terrain, plunging through tunnels filled with icy water and scaling 30-foot walls.

After a New Year holiday break, Edward traveled in a chauffeur-driven car to the marines base at Lympstone in Devon county, southwest England, where he is expected to meet with military counselors.

The Ministry of Defense said that if he wants to resign, he must write to his commanding officer and then appear before a senior officer to explain his reasons. The marines decide when a recruit may leave the service.

Under terms of his enlistment, Edward would be required to buy his way out of the service like any other marine who wanted to leave, paying a sum up to several hundred dollars.

Argument Reported

The Sun reported, without attribution, that Edward’s decision prompted a heated argument with his father, Prince Philip, the marines’ honorary commander. The marines’ commanding officer, Commandant General Michael Wilkins, also begged Edward to change his mind, the newspaper said.

Edward followed royal tradition by entering the armed forces as a $12,000-a-year acting lieutenant. His oldest brother, Prince Charles, commanded a navy minesweeper and his other brother, Prince Andrew, was a navy lieutenant who co-piloted helicopters during the 1982 Falklands War with Argentina.

In September, Edward took a drubbing but lasted the distance in a mandatory three-round boxing match with a fellow marine. His sergeant, Bob Fanshawe, said Edward “came off second best,” but he denied newspaper reports that the prince had suffered a black eye or other ill-effects.