Prince Harry graduated today from the prestigious Sandhurst military college, and his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, was on hand to inspect the prince on his passing out parade.

The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles and Camilla and Prince William were also there to watch the ceremonial parade around the academy's grounds in Camberley, southwest of London.

Prince Harry, 21, was among around 220 officer cadets who took part in the graduation ceremony, after which he becomes a 2nd Lieutenant.

Harry entered Sandhurst last May, and trained to become an army officer in the Blues and Royals regiment of the Household Cavalry, one of the British army's oldest units.

The prince, who is third in line to the British throne, made headlines last week after British media reported he celebrated his upcoming graduation with a visit to an upscale lap dancing club in London.

Harry's graduation will kick-off his journey towards becoming a troop commander, a position that will eventually put him in charge of 11 men and four light tanks in his Household Calvary's Blues and Royals regiment.

The troop could be sent to the front lines in Iraq or Afghanistan, but it is not yet certain whether Harry will go with them, said CTV's Tom Kennedy.

In the past, Harry has hinted that he wouldn't shy away from the possibility of going into battle.

"The head of the British armed forces certainly acknowledges that it's a possibility," Kennedy told Canada AM. "If they were going he'd like to go as well, so it's certainly a possibility," Kennedy said.

In a recent interview, Harry said: "The last thing I said was there's no way I'm going to put myself through Sandhurst and then sit on my arse back home while my boys are out fighting for their country.

"That may sound very patriotic, but it's true."

The commander of the academy appeared on British television, and said all Sandhurst officers are trained to be ready for battle. He wouldn't confirm that Harry might be among those deployed to a war zone, however.

"Prince Harry, like all the other cadets, will be feeling a degree of excitement today and a degree of apprehension," said Major General Andrew Ritchie.

"He'll be looking forward to commanding a troop of soldiers and being responsible for their well-being and indeed their lives," he said.

"We train all cadets here to be ready for operations - but as far as where the cadets go in the world that's a matter for others."

The prince's troop is scheduled for deployment to Kandahar and Helmand province in southern Afghanistan to fight with multinational forces that are currently under Canadian command.

The Blues and Royals are known as a fighting force, and have been deployed to almost every skirmish in the past decade, including the Falklands, Bosnia and Kosovo.

The Queen gave a congratulatory speech after inspecting both ranks of the senior division and the front rank of the junior division during the parade.

"This day marks the beginning of what I hope will be highly successful careers," she said.

"My prayers and my trust go with you all."

It was the first time the Queen has attended the Sandhurst graduation ceremony in 15 years.

William is also attending Sandhurst, and is expected to join the Welsh Guards when he graduates with the rank of captain.