A FOND FAREWELL
The Duke of Cambridge starts his final shift with the East Anglian Air Ambulance near Cambridge as he prepares to move on to full-time duties as a member of the Royal Family. Colleagues paid glowing tributes to the prince.
THE DUKE of Cambridge has marked his final air ambulance shift before moving on to life as a full-time member of the Royal family, smiling and joking with colleagues as he posed for a group photo.
Kensington Palace confirmed earlier this year William and Kate wanted to increase their official duties on behalf of the Queen and their charity work, which would mean more time in London. To mark his final shift with East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) last night, after more than two years flying medical crews to emergencies from a base at Cambridge Airport, he posed for a photograph with colleagues in front of the Airbus H145 helicopter.
Captain Kelly, who is working alongside the Duke on his final shift, said William had made a “fantastic contribution” to the team and it was an “absolute pleasure” to have him on board: “He’s a hard-working member of the team, always keen to get his hands dirty and help out whether it’s just cleaning the aircraft or actually at scene helping out with patients that are critically ill.”
The Cambridges are expected to spend more time at their London apartment at Kensington Palace, rather than their Norfolk property, as four-year-old Prince George will begin school in the capital in September.
The Duke joined EAAA as a pilot in 2015 and, after completing an initial period of job-specific training involving simulator, aircraft and in-flight skills training, he began piloting his first operational missions in July 2015.
Throughout his service, William has been based out of Cambridge Airport, as part of a team including specialist doctors, paramedics and pilots providing emergency medical services across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
The Duke said in the statement in January: “It has been a huge privilege to fly with the East Anglian Air Ambulance. Following on from my time in the military, I have had experiences in this job I will carry with me for the rest of my life, and that will add a valuable perspective to my Royal work for decades to come.”
Patrick Peal, chief executive of the East Anglian Air Ambulance, said: “He’s been a fantastic member of the team and that’s really what we were looking for, somebody who would really fit in, work hard and really contribute to the operation. He’s done that in spades. He really will be missed because he’s a terrific pilot, he’s a great guy to have around, he’s been really good at scene and that’s the feedback I get from all of our clinical teams and he’s just been a great person to have as part of East Anglian Air Ambulance.”