It has been announced that Prince William is to be based at RAF Valley, as part of the crew of Rescue Seaking 122. Which means that in the near future not only might I be flown into the hill by the RAF, but by the heir to the thrown of the UK.
Whilst it might seem exciting, it does remind me of an old interview that I saw with Prince Charles just after the Falklands War in which he served as a Wessex Helicoptor Pilot. The interview asked him whether the troops had treated him differently. To which he replied that whenever he came into pick up troops his helicoptor had been the most popular.
Asking one soldier why everyone wanted to get in his the ‘Royal’ helicoptor, the soldier didn’t reply to meet the prince, but simply that being the prince’s helicoptor it must be better maintain than the rest of the fleet.
So I have my finger crossed that the servicing of the Seakings at Valley become the RAF’s top priority ;-). Who knows I might even meet the Prince, although I wonder if I am being security checked as we speak, and put on the Rescue Team ‘Black List’?
I wonder if people will start to call out the rescue team in the hope of meeting the HRH, as his RAF title stands P Off Wales.