The King has reminisced about taking on the infamous Royal Marines “sheep dip” exercise obstacle when he watched Kenyan Marines being put through their paces.
The marines, who are being trained by the Royal Marines and US Marine Corps, are part of a five-year programme to create a marine corps which can help combat the al Qaida-inspired al-Shabab on the Somali border.
The King and Queen watched as 18 Kenyan Marines in inflatable boats landed on a beach at Mtongwe Naval Base near Mombasa and laid down a barrage of fire – blanks only – from their M4 carbines after coming under attack from a defensive position on the beach.
A 10-strong specialist training team from the Royal Marines’ 40 Commando put 26 Kenyan Marines through 12 weeks of intensive training, and the first cohort of the newly created Kenyan Marine Commando Unit (KMCU) completed the course on May 5.
The aim is for the KMCU to become an elite fighting force that can conduct specialised amphibious operations to weaken and disrupt threats in the region.
For the King, who wore his Royal Marines tie in his role as their Captain General, the exercise brought back memories of 1974 when as Prince of Wales he did part of the Royal Marines all arms course in Lympstone while qualifying as a helicopter pilot with the Royal Navy.
Captain Sam Powell, of 40 Commando, who spoke to the King after the training exercise, said: “We talked about Lympstone and the all arms course.
“The King’s done part of that course before. He was reminiscing about the sheep dip, which is part of the endurance course.
“It is essentially a submerged tunnel that you dive through and underneath and then come out the other side. So you have to hold your breath as you go underneath it.”
After the exercise Charles asked one Kenyan Marine: “Have the Royal Marines put you through quite a lot? Have they put you through an assault course? They are quite testing!”
He asked another if they had intercepted any drug smugglers, adding: “You know exactly what to do with them!”
The King also spoke to a Royal Marines instructor, saying: “When you get back do you get a nice bit of leave?”
“I hope so, sir,” he replied.
