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 07 September 2008 00:13 BST

Prince William 'visited UK troops on Afghanistan frontline'

Wednesday, 30 Apr 2008 12:03
Prince William in Afghanistan troop visit
Prince William visited British troops fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan earlier this week, it has emerged.

The 25-year-old spent three hours speaking to soldiers from 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment in Kandahar province on Monday.

Clarence House has said both the Prince of Wales and the Queen gave their blessing to the trip, which was kept secret over security concerns.

Prince William, who received his RAF pilot wings earlier this month, flew a C17 Globemaster transport plane from RAF Brize Norton for a portion of the journey to Afghanistan.

After meeting troops he flew to the al-Udeid base in Qatar before returning to the UK. Clarence House said the trip, which was designed to give the prince a "feel for out-of-area operations", took 30 hours in total.

Prince William is due to leave the RAF at the end of the week when his attachment ends, with a two-month attachment with the Royal Navy set to begin immediately.

"During the last few weeks of Prince William's attachment, he has had the opportunity to familiarise himself with the structures, capabilities and working conditions of the RAF," a Clarence House spokesperson added.

"He has met RAF personnel of all ranks and specialisations, learnt about the diversity of roles undertaken by the service and, of course, has realised a lifetime ambition to learn to fly."

Earlier this year the prince's brother Prince Harry spent ten weeks on the frontline in Afghanistan serving with his regiment.

His tour of duty was cut short however when a media blackout was broken by foreign journalists.End of story


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