William praises Thai cave divers
The Duke of Cambridge has told UK cave divers who helped save 12 trapped boys in Thailand the country is “very proud” of their efforts.
William welcomed some of the British team who took part in the rescue mission, and their UK support groups, to Buckingham Palace in recognition of their work.
The second-in-line to the throne reminisced about his own time underground when he was reunited with caver and cave diving expert Martyn Farr, who had taken the duke and his brother on a subterranean adventure in Wales in 1999. He heard the story of one volunteer who drove at speeds of up to 110mph on his way to Heathrow Airport to deliver two vital diving masks – behind a police escort.
The Duke who is a keen diver and president of the British Sub-Aqua Club, said during the palace reception: “Well done guys, it was fantastic, it really was. You should be very proud of yourselves.”
The daring operation was launched to reach the young footballers and their team coach after they became stranded more than two miles deep inside the Tham Luang cave network on June 23.
They spent 18 days marooned in the dark – their exit cut off by a flash flood – before specialist dive teams guided them out one by one.
Cave diver Chris Jewell, 36, from Cheddar, Somerset said: “It was a very intense period. In the three days of the rescue operation of bringing the children out we just had to be focused on that mission.”