Prince Charles shares rare photos of daredevil moment he leapt from a plane

Prince Charles
(Image credit: Getty)

Prince Charles has shared rare photos of the daredevil moment he jumped out of a plane.

Prince Charles was forced to jump out of a plane, not once but twice, as part of an air force training course, and he shared rare snaps via Clarence House to mark the 50th anniversary of the jumps.

The prince, who is colonel-in-chief of the parachute regiment, had been taking part in a Royal Air Force training course for his parachutist's wings at the time.

And the brave move saw him branded an 'action man', despite being easily 'embarrassed' at school, and Clarence House released the photographs to mark 50 years since the day.

The photographs were captioned, 'Up, up… and away! 🪂 Fifty years on since The Prince of Wales made his first parachute drop at the age of 23, His Royal Highness will today present New Colours to @TheParachuteRegiment at Merville Barracks in Colchester."

Prince Charles parachute jump

Prince Charles, suspended from his parachute, starts the drop down into the English Channel from the 120mph RAF plane above Poole Harbour.

Prince Charles

Prince Charles, who recently revealed the songs that get him dancing, made the daredevil leap whilst training as a jet pilot during a four-month attachment with the Royal Air Force in 1971.

Clarence House noted, 'His Royal Highness made his first parachute drop from an Andover into Studland Bay, Dorset.

'Upon his appointment as Colonel in Chief of The Parachute Regiment in 1977, The Prince requested to join a Parachute Training Course at RAF Brize Norton in 1978.'

Prince Charles leaps from a plane

And Prince Charles is still a keen supporter of the regiment, so much so that since being appointed to the role, His Royal Highness regularly visits the Regiment and takes a personal interest in supporting bereaved families and the wounded.

And you can watch Prince Charles make another parachute jump into the sea below...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GQ1QQUsex4

A photo posted by on

The Prince has been praised for his bravery. One fan wrote, 'This is so interesting! I'd never dare do that as I don't like flying but our Prince has always been very brave and, obviously, kind of an adventurer!'

Another put, 'I’ve always wanted to jump with the parachute. Hope to do it one day 🙌🙌. Well done, Prince Charles. It must’ve been very exciting.'

And a third fan added, 'A real-life action man.'

Selina Maycock
Senior Family Writer

Selina is a Senior Family Writer for GoodtoKnow and has more than 16 years years of experience. She specialises in royal family news, including the latest activities of Prince George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie and Lilibet. She also covers the latest government, health and charity advice for families. Selina graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2006 with a degree in Journalism, and gained her NCTJ and NCE qualifications. During her career, she’s also written for Woman, Woman's Own, Woman&Home, and Woman's Weekly as well as Heat magazine, Bang Showbiz - and the Scunthorpe Telegraph. When she's not covering family news, you can find her exploring new countryside walking routes, catching up with friends over good food, or making memories (including award-winning scarecrows!)