Prince William lands air ambulance but is too late to save drowned teenager
ONE of Prince William’s final assignments as an air ambulance pilot has ended in tragedy, after he could not save a drowning 17-year-old boy.
The teenager, named by friends as Robbie Lea, got into trouble in a lake at the Lee Valley Park in Cheshunt, Herts, on the hottest day of the year so far.
The Duke of Cambridge was scrambled to pilot a helicopter to the country park after the emergency services were alerted. After an hour-long search, the body of a boy was pulled from the water by the Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Friends visited the park yesterday and told how the teenager got into difficulty while trying to swim to an island in the North Metropolitan Pit.
Morgan Harrison, 17, said: “He was just going out and having fun. He wasn’t doing anything stupid, I think he was just having a good time. It was a hot day and he obviously wanted cool down.”
Ryan Soltwell, 18, said: “We’ve all done it before but nothing’s ever come out like this.”
Robbie, who attended Goffs School in Cheshunt, had recently started studying engineering at Hertford to Regional College. Videos taken that evening showed the Duke of Cambridge landing his helicopter, and then walking towards the scene at around 8pm.
An eye witness said: “We knew something was up when a helicopter was flying extremely low just over the Lee Valley Park. We could see it was landing so ran over to see what was going on.
“Little did we expect to see Prince William himself flying the helicopter.”
Chief fire officer Darryl Keen warned others against the dangers of swimming outdoors in the warm weather.
“Even the strongest swimmer can get into difficulties and we would advise people to think carefully before swimming in unsupervised areas and look out for signs and advice about the specific dangers at the location where you are swimming,” he said.
A Hertfordshire Constabulary spokesman said: “The boy was recovered from the water but sadly he was pronounced dead at the scene.
“There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”
Lee Valley Park is a 10,000-acre, 26mile park which runs through the northeast of Greater London, Essex and Hertfordshire.
Swimming and paddling is not permitted in the park.