Provided by 7DAYS.ae
Prince William landed a Royal Air Force helicopter in the garden of the parents of his girlfriend Kate Middleton but the Ministry of Defence defended his actions, saying he achieved essential training objectives. The 25-year-old William, who is second in line to the throne, asked permission from his girlfriend's parents to land at their Berkshire home due to a shortage of landing slots in Hampshire.
While aviation analyst and RAF-trained pilot Jon Lake said the April 3 flight was "ridiculous and inappropriate", the Ministry said the two-hour training mission was fully authorised as part of William's four-month RAF attachment. "Battlefield helicopter crews routinely practice landing in fields and confined spaces away from their airfields as a vital part of their training for operations," it said.
"These highly honed skills are used daily in conflict zones such as Iraq." The MoD said helicopter bases continually sought permission from land owners
to use their fields and that there were in fact only two fields permanently available in Hampshire. "Opportunities to use alternatives are therefore regularly seized. The aircraft landed in the field, after taking all necessary safety precautions, and was on the ground for 20 seconds. No one got on or off the aircraft. This was very much a routine training sortie that achieved essential training objectives," it said.
William, the fourth successive generation of the monarchy to become an RAF pilot, received his wings from his father Prince Charles on April 11 in a ceremony watched by Middleton. Known as Flying Officer William Wales, he is due to start an attachment to the Royal Navy in June.
William broke up with his long-time girlfriend in April last year but they now appear to be firmly back together, sparking feverish speculationA about marriage plans.
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