Three generations of the same family graduated from the UK’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

LONDON:- Three generations of the same family—grandfather, father, and son—have graduated from the UK’s prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

This milestone was achieved when Lieutenant Tejas Jung Thapa of the Nepal Army graduated alongside 74 newly commissioned officers at the passing-out ceremony of ‘Commissioning Course Short 262’ held on Saturday. He has become the first officer from Nepal to have three consecutive generations graduate from Sandhurst.

Lieutenant Thapa’s family background is deeply rooted in a military tradition. His paternal grandfather, retired Brigadier General Tejendra Jung Thapa, and his maternal grandfather, the late Lieutenant Colonel Prabal Shamsher Rana, trained together at Sandhurst between 1960 and 1962.

Similarly, his father, Major General Anup Jung Thapa, also completed his training at the same academy between 1990 and 1991. Lieutenant Tejas expressed his pride in being commissioned in the presence of his father and grandfather, who serve as his sources of inspiration.

An interesting coincidence involving royal visits to the Royal Military Academy is also linked to this family legacy: the then-King Mahendra and Queen Ratna were present when Tejas’s grandfather, Tejendra Jung Thapa, graduated, while Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom visited during his father Anup Jung Thapa’s training.

Nepal has been sending cadets to Sandhurst since 1952. At this institution—regarded as one of the world’s premier military training centers—officers of the Nepal Army have earned a distinct international reputation and respect through their dedication, high level of discipline, and outstanding leadership capabilities.

This three-generation continuity has not only strengthened the family’s commitment to military service but has also further solidified the historic and diplomatic ties between the Nepalese and British armies.