"While they may have passed their courses through their own efforts (and this is debatable), it certainly wasn't their own efforts that got them onto their courses in the first place."
Can't penalise him for who his parents are.
And I am sure the Military gets plenty of free advertising mileage out of them being in the armed forces and serving in the various services so it cuts both ways.
Would the top brass really have put Capt Wales onto the Apache course if they didn't think he had the aptitude / skills to at least have a good chance of passing ?
Considering the media interest, I think putting him on the course and having him wash out would not have been a good look and he maybe would have been "steered" in another direction.