Prince William receives his wings from Prince Charles
RAF serviceman and heir to the throne Flight Lieutenant William Wales today received his helicopter wings from Prince Charles at RAF Shawbury. Prince Charles is Air Chief Marshal, and he pinned the wings on several of Prince William's colleagues also.
Kate Middleton, Prince William's girlfriend, was in the audience for the duration, sitting next to William throughout. The Duchess of Cornwall was also present.
William has completed "Advanced Rotary Training" and after his trip to Australia and New Zealand will go on to RAF Anglesey to do the next stage, training as a search and rescue pilot.
There, he will learn to fly a Sea King helicopter with enough precision to rescue stranded mountaineers and swimmers. He is expected to go to the Falklands to train, becoming a full pilot in 2011, and will then complete a 3-year tour of duty.
Prince Charles gave a short speech acknowledging the difficulty faced by the partners of servicemen and -women, that the pilots' skills would no doubt be in great demand, and that they were to be careful. He suggested they should develop a sixth sense.
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ITN video of Prince William receiving his wings from Prince Charles
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