Royal Navy academy where Charles and William trained faces axe

It was where the late Queen first met a dashing young naval cadet called Philip Mountbatten, and where the current King and the next one underwent military training.

But now the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth – which has trained officers for more than 160 years – could be facing the axe in Labour's defence review.

Former Defence Secretary Lord Robertson is leading a 'root and branch' report into the Armed Forces, and sources close to the review have raised fears that the Devon base could already be in his sights.

The imposing Grade II-listed college, which overlooks the River Dart and trains more than 400 cadets a year, is billed as the 'jewel in the crown' of the Royal Navy's shore bases.

It is where the then Prince Charles underwent training in 1971 and where Prince William went in 2008.

And it was where, in 1939, the 13-year-old Princess Elizabeth first met her future husband, then aged 18. The pair famously played croquet on the academy lawns, and Philip's uncle, Louis Mountbatten, later told Charles in a letter: 'Mummy never seriously thought of anyone else after the Dartmouth encounter.'

But despite its illustrious history, the training college was the subject of a damning report last year from education watchdog Ofsted.

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Chief inspector Amanda Spielman described conditions there as 'unacceptable... a sorry tale of decaying, sometimes unsafe, buildings and facilities, with windows rotting and areas out of bounds for safety reasons'.

She added that for years commanding officers had been unable to deal with the estate 'because of a lack of support and resources' and concluded: 'This situation should not be allowed to continue.'

The MoD said then it had taken steps to 'ensure the continued delivery of safe and effective training', but warned the college's Grade II-listed status might slow down improvements.

But last night, one private senior naval source conceded that with budgets stretched, 'it is difficult to justify keeping Dartmouth'.

Shortly after Labour's election victory in July, the Ministry of Defence launched a Strategic Defence Review into what Sir Keir Starmer described as 'our hollowed-out Armed Forces'. Labour peer Lord Robertson, also a former secretary general of Nato, is due to report by summer next year.

Sources close to the inquiry have told The Mail on Sunday that the historic naval college's future was already the subject of debate.

They raised the prospect of the college being closed and training moved to a purpose-built complex in the next five years.

One Navy source said last night: 'I have been to Dartmouth recently and, yes, it is in need of a lot of love. Everywhere you look, buildings are in need of maintenance and we do have a shrinking navy and fewer officers. It is very difficult to justify keeping Dartmouth open when so much revenue is needed to maintain it, but there will be a battle to keep it open.'

Last night, former defence minister Tobias Ellwood said closing Dartmouth would be 'a betrayal of our Navy's proud heritage and status', adding: 'It's renowned as the premier naval officer training academy in the world.'

An MoD spokesman said the college 'remains the home of officer training for the Royal Navy and no such closure decision has been made'.