Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal left young Cadets and Volunteers with memories for life as she visited a unique careers fair in Northampton.
The Princess Royal met with soon-to-be job-seeking youngsters from the Cadet Forces and Forces-friendly employers during a tour of the Conversation with Cadets event, organised by members of East Midlands Reserve Forces and Cadets Association (RFCA), at Clare Street Army Reserve Centre in October.
After hearing Cadets share their often life-changing experiences in which they’ve developed confidence, resilience and leadership skills, The Princess Royal stepped up to the lectern to say a few words.
Her Royal Highness commended the Cadet Forces and praised the organisers, employers, Volunteers and Cadets for all coming together to make the careers showcase possible.
Fred Hopkins, Head of Engagement at East Midlands RFCA, said: “I know that The Princess Royal’s visit has inspired and left a lasting impression on the many Cadets and Volunteers she spent time with.
“Having Her Royal Highness visit our bustling careers fair, which is only in its second year, is incredible and underlines the importance of the Cadet Forces.
“The Combined Cadet Force, the Sea Cadets, the Army Cadet Forces and RAF Air Cadets add significant value by fostering personal development, improving educational and career prospects, and contributing positively to society.”
Cadet Bannister, of Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland Army Cadets, was one of dozens of young people who had the chance to speak with The Princess Royal.
He said: “After I finished talking to Her Royal Highness about the field gun, I told her that the barrel was made out of a lamppost, as it was recycled, which made her laugh.
“It’s not every day that you make Her Royal Highness laugh, talking about a lamppost.
“When I saw her, I thought I would say ‘good afternoon, Your Royal Highness’ and hopefully at most get a nod back, but I got a conversation. I would say that is the best thing that could have happened.”
Conversation with Cadets
Nottinghamshire Army Cadet Force has successfully run the ‘Conversation with Cadets’ format for a number of years.
Jim Wright, a local businessman and devoted member of East Midlands RFCA’s Northamptonshire Forum, spearheaded the creation of a similar event for Northamptonshire in 2024, thanks to the help of local partners, including the Sea Cadets, Army Cadets, RAF Air Cadets and Combined Cadet Force.
The careers fair has two primary purposes. First of all, it allows Cadets to showcase their maturity and skills through first aid, drill, live music and leadership task demonstrations.
Secondly, it enables local and national employers, such as BAE Systems, Travis Perkins, the NHS and the Armed Forces, to pitch careers within their organisations and sectors.
Building on the success of the inaugural event, the 2025 instalment of Northamptonshire’s Conversation with Cadets welcomed almost 50 organisations and hundreds of Cadets.
Jim said: “We wanted the day to give Cadets more exposure to businesses and the organisations a chance to showcase themselves, and I think we’ve achieved that. It really makes me proud.
“The Princess Royal is the patron of the Sea Cadet Corps, so she’s really into the Cadets and wanted to see them in action.”
Fred Hopkins added: “The Cadets impart life-changing skills, experiences and confidence that are hard to put on a CV. Sometimes you need to see it in action to understand it properly, and that’s what Conversation with Cadets is all about.
“The employers here have benefited from their association with the Armed Forces Covenant and Employer Recognition Scheme, as they are the first port of call we go to when we come to offer these things out.
“From what they’ve seen, we hope they lean in and find ways to employ enthusiastic young people from the Defence Community, which will be a huge win for them because they get young people who already have practical experience of teamwork, leadership, problem solving and overcoming adversity.”
Photos from Conversation with Cadets are available to view here.
