One of Prince William’s first duties as a naval lieutenant will be to buy a crate of beer for colleagues after messing up the traditional task of slipping a ship’s anchor.

The Prince is undergoing three weeks of intensive training at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon, where his father, the Prince of Wales, and his grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, also learnt the ropes as young officers.

After a demonstration of how to release the anchor of Hindostan, a former minesweeper, the Prince swung a sledgehammer and failed to dislodge it. He succeeded with his next blow but will be expected to pay the traditional forfeit of a case of beer.

Later the Prince’s boat handling skills came in for praise when he manoeuvred a 40ft training craft alongside a buoy on the River Dart.

When Sub-Lieutenant Wales, as he is known in the service, has completed his basic naval training he will join the crew of HMS Iron Duke patrolling for drug-runners in the Caribbean.

Commander Paul Halton, director of training at the college, said that the Prince had been quick to pick up skills needed to control a picket boat. “Some of the manoeuvres he did would ordinarily take a young officer weeks or months of training and he’s got the hang of it in just a day – so pretty good,” he said.

The Prince, 25, joined four other young naval officers for the training, which included a man-overboard drill.

Commander Halton said: “[The Prince] has been here for a very short period but already there’s a real sense of comradeship among his team.”

Times recommends

• Ask me about sex, not pay
• Culture clubbing
• Honor Blackman: Words from the wise