Prince Harry: officer in training

Prince Harry, known in the tabloids for his late-night partying, is swapping that lifestyle for a regimen of rules, drills and chores.

Harry, 20, said goodbye to his father, Prince Charles, on Sunday and entered the gates of the elite Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to begin a 44-week officer training course.

"I am really excited. I want to get on with it and do the best job I can do," he said in a written statement issued by his father's office, Clarence House.

Photos taken of Harry outside the military school in southern England showed the young prince wearing a blue suit and tie and wearing a badge with the word "Wales" printed on it.

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His first five weeks will involve some of the toughest training of the army program 20-hour days, confinement to the academy grounds and no alcohol.

Harry, who is third in line to the throne behind his father and elder brother William, had planned to enter Sandhurst in January, but had to put off his training because of a knee injury.

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Once he's finished with his basic training, he will be attached to the Household Cavalry, which has units in Iraq. Harry has not yet been given permission by his father to serve on the front lines after his training.