Drunk army cadet claimed 'Queen' told him to get on the p***

"I've had a rough day," and "we're celebrating!" are a couple of the common excuses people use for going out drinking, but one British Army cadet went for a more original justification when it came to getting p***ed.

The elaborate tale is one relayed by author and former cadet Geordie Stewart in his new book, Hurry Up And Wait: The Secret Life of a Sandhurst Cadet.

According to Stewart, this cadet couldn't resist the 'magnetic' draw of 'dating apps and London clubs'. He recalled the man attempting to charm a trainee lawyer one night before heading back to his room, when he was confronted by his superior, Colour Sergeant Thornton.

"His justification?" Stewart wrote. "He asked Queen Victoria – the statue, that is – whether his overnight absence was approved. She kindly agreed that it was."

This cadet's wild ways didn't stop there, as he apparently even went as far as to go on a night out before an important chapel parade set to take place the following day.

Stewart explained: "With a chapel parade early on Sunday morning, most people were having a quiet Saturday night in.

"The dress code was blues, the smartest of all dress. The night started well with a few drinks police conversation and a few speeches."

However, as the night escalated, the cadet 'proceeded through the levels quickly and assertively'.

The man is said to have quickly got into 'chanting, stumbling and chundering', before taking an 'unplanned dip in the Sandhurst lake before being accompanied to the block'.

He might have got away with the incident too, if it weren't for the fact that he had to wear the blues again for 'the most important chapel service of the intake' the next day, when his clothes were still 'fully sodden'.

According to Stewart, the cadet quickly learned the consequences of his actions as he spent the following weekends mastering the graceful art of shovelling horse manure. I wonder if it was worth it?