Prince William and Kate Middleton (4 page)

Always one for playing his part, William even took part in a secret underwater mission (during a subsequent five-week deployment on HMS Iron Duke in the Caribbean). He even assisted his crew in capturing a vessel carrying forty million pounds (around sixty-five million dollars!) worth of cocaine.

 

Despite William's wishes however, it was clear that he would not be able to dedicate his career to full-time active service. The logistics of keeping his deployments private were of course a consideration, plus the huge risk of an heir to the throne being in some of the world's most dangerous war-zones were not a situation top-brass would want.

Yet William still found a way to dedicate his time to the armed forces. Initially he joined a non-operational flying team with the Army Air Corps, and then transferred from the Army to the RAF to train as a full-time Search-and-Rescue helicopter pilot.

 

Although William has proved to be probably the most popular royal (alongside the public's love for his mother), the press can still take delight in ‘errors of judgement' – although in William's case these have mostly been seen as ‘cheeky stunts' rather than outright ‘bad behaviour'. William used a ten-million pound army helicopter to fly himself and his brother Prince Harry to a stag weekend on the Isle of Wight – landing him in hot (or at least lukewarm) water with the press. Once wonders how they would have reacted had Harry been the pilot – many people hadn't forgiven him for his poor taste of dressing up as a Nazi for a fancy dress party…

Shortly after the stag weekend stunt, William was ‘at it again', landing his helicopter in Kate Middleton's back garden! It was a sure sign that the relationship was back on, and what young lady could resist that kind of gesture? He was certainly a knight (of the highest order we must note), and definitely in an armoured vehicle – if not shining armour!

Despite these somewhat negatively received reports, William was a fantastic advert for the RAF. Military top-brass were reported to be ‘savouring the fabulous publicity' that the Prince had bought to the force.

 

An RAF Chinook Helicopter

 

In January 2010, after having graduated from the RAF's Defence Helicopter Flying School at Shawbury, William transferred to the Search and Rescue Training Unit in Anglesey.

Reports suggest that the Prince's operational tour will last around three years, ensuring he remains with the armed forces until 2013. Starting as a co-pilot, one is sure that William will take on full piloting duties in the near future, having demonstrated himself to have a natural ability for flying.

Once again, at Christmas in 2010 Prince William showed his desire to ‘muck in' with his colleagues. He put duty before family, and followed a tradition of unmarried servicemen to work on Christmas Day – having Christmas dinner with RAF colleagues in a forces canteen at his base! As on many previous occasions, the public loved this, and William continued to cement himself as a much-loved royal. Kate reportedly spent the day with her family in Berkshire, perhaps happy that media attention on her had subsided in recent months.

 

 

Not long before his show of selflessness at Christmas, the British public (and many people worldwide) were thrilled to hear that Prince William had proposed to Kate Middleton during a holiday to Kenya – and that she had accepted!

One month later, in November 2010, Clarence House announced that the couple were to marry, and that the wedding would take place on the 29
th
April 2011.

One wonders whether the press easing off on reports of the couple during 2009 and 2010 helped the situation, or perhaps if William's active duties in defending his country had given him a maturity that had not been present back in 2007. Whatever the reason, both parties seemed truly in love.

A further link with Princess Diana was made, with the engagement ring being the same 18-carat Sapphire one of William's mother.

The Clarence House announcement was most likely the best news received by supporters of the British Royals since that regarding Charles and Diana's engagement almost thirty years previously. Despite its brevity, the statement said everything that needed to be said – ‘The Prince of Wales [Prince Chalres] is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middeleton. The wedding will take place in the spring or summer of 2011, in London. Prince William has informed The Queen and other close members of his family. Prince William has also sought the permission of Miss Middleton's father.'

It was reported that The Queen was ‘absolutely delighted' for both Prince William and Kate Middleton.

 

An Illustration of the Interior of Westminster Abbey

 

And so we are brought up to date. At the time of writing this book, preparations are being made for the Royal Wedding. One can only speculate about the lavish celebrations that are planned – although we know that the ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey, the venue of The Queen Mother's wedding and the terribly sad and moving funeral of Princess Diana.

We are told that Westminster Abbey was chosen for its ‘staggering beauty', its 1000-year-old Royal history, and – despite its size – its feeling of intimacy. No-one does weddings like the British Royal family, and one can expect the occasion to be broadcast to hundreds of millions of people across the globe.

 

So what does the future hold? Considering the circumstances of his parents' marriage – its sad demise into divorce – and tragic death of his mother, one can only wish the couple a very happy and prosperous marriage – and pray that no tragedy ever befalls them. In this new-media age, one cannot imagine that the couple will ever have more than a semblance of privacy, and yet one hopes that through the ups and downs of their relationship that they have both learned how to cope with intense media focus.

Whatever the couple experience in the future, it is sure to be an interesting ride. For ‘fans' of the British Royal Family, for those with an interest in its thousand-plus year history, and certainly for Prince William and Kate Middleton, it is sure to be an interesting ride.

Appendices

 

 

• January 2006 – 16 December 2006: Officer Cadet
  
• 16 December 2006 – 16 December 2006: Cornet (Second Lieutenant), The Blues and Royals
  
• 16 December 2006 – 1 January 2009 : Lieutenant, The Blues and Royals
  
• 1 January 2008 – 1 January 2009: Flying Officer, Royal Air Force
  
• 1 January 2008 – 1 January 2009 : Sub-Lieutenant, Royal Navy
  
• 1 January 2009 – present: Lieutenant, Royal Navy
  
• 1 January 2009 – present: Captain, The Blues and Royals
  
• 1 January 2009 – present: Flight Lieutenant, Royal Air Force
  

 

 

• 10 November 2009 – present: Canadian Ranger
  
• 3 October 2008 – present: Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Coningsby
  
• 8 August 2006 – present: Commodore-in-Chief of HMNB Clyde
  
• 8 August 2006 – present: Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Navy Submarine Service
  
• 8 August 2006 – present: Commodore-in-Chief of Scotland
  
• 10 February 2011 – present: Colonel of the Regiment Irish Guards
  

 

 

• 23 April 2008 – present: Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (KG)
  
• 6 July 2009: Called to the Bar by the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple
  
• 6 July 2009: Called to the Bench by the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple
  
• 23 June 2010: Made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)
  
• 6 February 2002: Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
  

 

 

 

• Centrepoint
  
• Child Bereavement Charity
  
• Diana Awards
  
• Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund
  
• Help for Heroes
  
• Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund
  
• National AIDS Trust
  
• Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  
• Sentebale
  
• Skill Force
  
• The Countryside Foundation For Education
  
• The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry
  
• Tusk Trust
  

 

 

Please note these are not necessarily from confirmed sources; please notify the author or publisher if inaccuracies are discovered

 

Favourite Foods:

• Pasta
  
• Venison
  
• Fruit Salad
  
• Hamburgers
  
• Chocolate
  

 

Favourite Hobbies and Sports:

• Swimming
  
• Polo
  
• Tennis
  
• Football
  
• Skiing
  
• Hockey
  
• Rowing
  
• Shooting
  

 

Nicknames:

• Wills
  
• His Naughtiness
  
• Billy
  
• Wombat
  

 

Interesting Fact – Prince William is left-handed