Prince Harry wants to join army
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Harry punched the air as he left Eton College on his last day of school.
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Britain's Prince Harry wants to be a career soldier, following in the footsteps of other members of the royal family, according to Prince Charles' press office.
The revelation comes as the younger son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and the late Princess Diana finished his last exam at Eton College in Windsor Thursday.
Harry, 18, will apply to Sandhurst Royal Military Academy in England, and if he is accepted he will join next year after taking a "gap year" off starting this autumn, a press office statement said.
Harry -- third in line to the throne -- will be assessed by the army for fitness before going in front of the Regular Commission Board, which will interview him for suitability.
He also must pass the two advanced-level subjects he took at Eton -- geography and art -- to be accepted at the prestigious academy.
The prince has not chosen a regiment to serve in yet, but the British press has speculated that he is likely to join the Welsh Guards.
"Prince Harry distinguished himself at Eton in the school's Combined Cadet Corps and was promoted to the highest rank of Cadet Officer in May 2003. He led a detachment of 48 cadets as Parade Commander in last month's Eton Tattoo (military parade)," the statement said.
As he leaves Eton, the young prince is hoping to follow his brother, William, and travel abroad during his gap year.
Prince William undertook charity work in Chile during his gap year before he started a history of art degree at St. Andrew's University in Scotland.
Their father, Prince Charles, and grandfather Prince Philip served in the Royal Navy, and their uncle Prince Andrew was a navy helicopter pilot who served in the Falklands war.
Harry enrolled at Eton -- another family tradition -- in 1998, a year after his mother died in a Paris car crash.
Eighteen months ago, Harry admitted smoking marijuana and getting drunk in a pub, and his father sent him to a drug rehab clinic for a day.
