Prince William Current Events 19: May 2008-May 2009

[Ella Kay]

I think it's a distressing report - it's disheartening that he presents himself as someone who wants to be "normal" and then does something like the helicopter flights and has the military try to cover it up. I wonder if it's another moment of discord between "normal" life and royal life. When you grow up in the midst of such privilege, it's bound to skew your perceptions of what proper behavior and responsibilities are a bit. That's not an excuse, though - he should have known better from the start.

Mostly I hope that William's learned his lesson from the Chinook scandal. If he wants to remain in the good graces of the public, he can't be pulling stunts like his helicopter jaunts anymore.

 

[tommy1716]

I think the disheartening thing is that William wasn't straight with the public from the start and allowed others to be apportioned some of the blame too when in fact they knew little if anything about it - that shows little respect for the public and those misled i think.

 

[Mermaid1962]

Was William ever told what his limits were? Did anyone ever tell him that he couldn't make the flights that he did? It's being assumed that somehow William "pulled a fast one", but surely one of his superiors must have seen his flight plans.

 

[kpusa1981]

Seeing his flight plans does not mean that he told his suprior officers he wanted to do those flights actually for. Why would one not asked why he choosing the IoW or going up to Scotland routes? If it had been anyone else would right through those plans when they did not at a another RAF base. Prince William figured wrongly that no one in the press would find out and the story the RAF covered it for him until the truth came out.

 

[Menarue]

Prince William didn´t realize that he couldn´t take his airforce plane to go to a party?
Oh dear, future king of England!
I think he did something unforgiveable, put his superior officers in a very awkward position because of his position.
Someone is going to pay the price and I bet it won´t be Prince William.

 

[Skydragon]

Was William ever told what his limits were? Did anyone ever tell him that he couldn't make the flights that he did? It's being assumed that somehow William "pulled a fast one", but surely one of his superiors must have seen his flight plans.

Wasn't told, you are joking right. You don't really expect someone to sit him down and explain he is not allowed to use the cash strapped RAF as a personal taxi service.

 

[Roslyn]

Wasn't told, you are joking right. You don't really expect someone to sit him down and explain he is not allowed to use the cash strapped RAF as a personal taxi service.

If he couldn't work that out for himself, we are all in great trouble.

Well, you are all in great trouble. The more I see of William, the more inclined I am to vote for a republic.

 

[ghost_night554]

Maybe I'm psycho, but while I'm extremely dissapointed that William would lead on the MOD like that(especially since I'm one of the people who kept defending him around that period) but the way I've seen it we've all lied before to get something we want, maybe to no such an extent but then again our lives haven't been put under a microscope for the whole world to analyze.

 

[Skydragon]

Maybe I'm psycho, but while I'm extremely dissapointed that William would lead on the MOD like that but the way I've seen it we've all lied before to get something we want, maybe to no such an extent but then again our lives haven't been put under a microscope for the whole world to analyze.

We have? I am disgusted by it, he was quite happy, it seems to allow others to take the blame. If Mr/Mrs normal do it, it is bad enough, if an officer does it it is worse but this is supposedly a future King.

 

[ghost_night554]

Well I've certainly lied in the past to get what I want. I'm not saying because we do it it's ok for him to do it, but I'm saying it's not the first time I've seen someone lie to get something they want. Not that what he did was right, I'm not saying that at all. I remember he said something along the lines that he couldn't let the others take all the blame, obviously he knew what he had done was wrong and knew he would be found out once it was uncovered and blown up. I'm sure it was one of dailymail articles from back then that had printed that quote.

 

[Mermaid1962]

Well, if he's a prince who's never had to ask permission for anything, he might have just assumed that it was okay. It means that he has had an incredible sense of entitlement and wasn't corrected, which of course isn't good. Hopefully he got a "right royal" dressing down that's still ringing in his ears.

Wasn't told, you are joking right. You don't really expect someone to sit him down and explain he is not allowed to use the cash strapped RAF as a personal taxi service.

 

[ghost_night554]

^That's very true, I could see something like that happening. If he didn't know, that's ok I mean we all learn from our mistakes right? It was wrong, he made a mistake and hopefully he's learned from it, that's how I see it.

 

[Mermaid1962]

Like you, I hope that he learned his lesson. When people are in their teens and 20s (and older), they often have to learn the hard way.

^That's very true, I could see something like that happening. If he didn't know, that's ok I mean we all learn from our mistakes right? It was wrong, he made a mistake and hopefully he's learned from it, that's how I see it.

 

[Skydragon]

^That's very true, I could see something like that happening. If he didn't know, that's ok I mean we all learn from our mistakes right? It was wrong, he made a mistake and hopefully he's learned from it, that's how I see it.

If he didn't know, I find myself incredulous yet again, it seems to be a perpetual state on here! He was and is an Army Officer and he didn't know how the chain of command works. Would people still be making excuses for him if he borrowed a tank and drove it to BP with the excuse that he didn't know, nobody explained it to him. As he is transferring to the RAF, someone had better sit him down pretty darn quick and explain to him what he cannot do.

 

[ghost_night554]

Well there must have been some reason as to why he would even begin to think he could just use the RAF planes for personal use. I really truly don't believe that William is that spoiled that he would think that because of his title he could do what he pleases, but that's just me. And even if he knew what he was doing was wrong, after what happened with this fiasco I don't think he'd try to pull something like this ever again.

 

[tommy1716]

Well I've certainly lied in the past to get what I want.

Did that lie cost taxpayers £80,000? Is it just me who thinks if William repaid the money wasted on his jaunts he might get some good PR from this fiasco.

 

[ghost_night554]

No, it didn't cost taxpayers that much but when I said that I also added that our lives aren't like his,nor was I trying to say that it's the same thing,but my point was and I've said this about 50 times now that even though what he did was extremely wrong, Who's to say we haven't lied in the past as well again before more people jump on me like I said I realize that Prince William's life and ours are nothing alike but again I wasn't trying to compare the two, that wasn't my point. I'm not denying that he messed up but I've lied, got caught and learned and hopefully he has too.

 

[Roslyn]

I sincerely hope he has learned his lesson, because this error of judgment was a doozy.

 

[MARG]

If he didn't know, I find myself incredulous yet again, it seems to be a perpetual state on here! He was and is an Army Officer and he didn't know how the chain of command works. Would people still be making excuses for him if he borrowed a tank and drove it to BP with the excuse that he didn't know, nobody explained it to him. As he is transferring to the RAF, someone had better sit him down pretty darn quick and explain to him what he cannot do.

I get the feeling that the problem was that he was just doing his RAF "stint" and didn't give a moment's thought to the consequences. Oh hell, that just reiterates what you have said Sky, but I have a sneaking suspicion that "someone" counselled him on the meaning of the word "Honour" and showed him which way was 'up' before the RAF committed to allowing him to join-up for real!

 

[Menarue]

I get the feeling that the problem was that he was just doing his RAF "stint" and didn't give a moment's thought to the consequences. Oh hell, that just reiterates what you have said Sky, but I have a sneaking suspicion that "someone" counselled him on the meaning of the word "Honour" and showed him which way was 'up' before the RAF committed to allowing him to join-up for real!

Marg they may have thought he didn´t need to be told the "H" word because of who he was, they probably thought it was part of his genetical makeup. To me it sounds as though he was told to do the RAF. Army etc and he did in the most enjoyable way possible for him and it really was a "lark" until he was told he shouldn´t have done some things - never mind it was someone else´s fault so carry on.

 

[muriel]

I get the feeling that the problem was that he was just doing his RAF "stint" and didn't give a moment's thought to the consequences. Oh hell, that just reiterates what you have said Sky, but I have a sneaking suspicion that "someone" counselled him on the meaning of the word "Honour" and showed him which way was 'up' before the RAF committed to allowing him to join-up for real!

There is no doubt that this was an error of judgement on William's part, and whichever way you try, this does not look good. The only point in his defence that can be offered is that if he is meant to be doing a certain number of hours flying and a certian number of take off and landings beofre he gets his wings, does it really matter that one of them ended at a location convenient to him?

 

[Skydragon]

There is no doubt that this was an error of judgement on William's part, and whichever way you try, this does not look good. The only point in his defence that can be offered is that if he is meant to be doing a certain number of hours flying and a certian number of take off and landings beofre he gets his wings, does it really matter that one of them ended at a location convenient to him?

Yes they have to do a certain amount of maneuvers, but flying hours are needed to obtain a civilian pilots ticket, not RAF wings.

Does it matter that he appears to have been less than honest, does it matter if he abused his position, Yes it does.

 

[Menarue]

If he didn't know, I find myself incredulous yet again, it seems to be a perpetual state on here! He was and is an Army Officer and he didn't know how the chain of command works. Would people still be making excuses for him if he borrowed a tank and drove it to BP with the excuse that he didn't know, nobody explained it to him. As he is transferring to the RAF, someone had better sit him down pretty darn quick and explain to him what he cannot do.

Wasn´t there a case some years back in England when a young recruit who had just learnt to drive a tank had the bright idea to take it home and show his mother? I remember this vaguely, what I do remember is that he tore up the roads all the way. I shouldn´t laugh, but I wonder what punishment this young man got for his little mistake.

 

[Skydragon]

I also have a vague recollection of a young soldier 'facilitating' the borrowing of a tank and I think he received a DD! Perhaps nobody sat them down and told them what they could and couldn't do. I'll just phone the RAF and tell them my shopping is late and would they arrange for my brat to fly it up to me! I don't like my chances, do you!

 

[Jo of Palatine]

Well, if he's a prince who's never had to ask permission for anything, he might have just assumed that it was okay. It means that he has had an incredible sense of entitlement and wasn't corrected, which of course isn't good. Hopefully he got a "right royal" dressing down that's still ringing in his ears.

When my mother still worked as an registrar for a newspaper, she had two pencils on her desk. One payed for by the newspaper, which she used for her work and one payed for by herself for private notices. I found that odd and thought it was embarrassing and old-fashioned but when she retired her boss promised her to send her every year for christmas a box of Palatinian wines because she has been so scrupulously honest in her dealings at work and he thought that she deserved a special reward for that. And till today (my mother's 85 by now) she gets these wines and is very proud of them. That's how this generation worked and I believe that the queen and princes Philip and Charles are of this mould as well.

It must have been terrible upsetting for them learning about William's usage of the RAF. I see from Skydragon as an army wife's reaction that it is not considered to be just be just a gentleman's mishap. So I guess Philip must be very disappointed, too. I wonder if the decision to not introduce William to full-fleged Royal duties next year but to have him serve the people of his country as a SAR-pilot first is somehow based in this occurances.

 

[Menarue]

You may be right Jo, I bet Prince Philip must have been, how did you say it - disappointed? - although I bet he used a more sailor like term. There was a certain President of Portugal who would not consent to his wife using an official car unless it was for some official purpose - and I can tell you that was unusual.
What your mother did was old fashioned yes, but it shows what an honest conscientous person she is. I would also praise her boss for actually noticing..

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

I am sure there are people in the RAF who are thankful for the existence of the Freedom of Information Act, revealing that there is only one person to blame for such an image-killing incident, and that is the incredibly immature future King, Prince William.

I was wrong to use RAF helicopter as taxi, admits Prince William - The Daily Record

It's a shame that royal birth saves him from facing any consequences and such incidents must be hard to bear for the average member of the army when looking at the "special treatment" William and his brother Harry (on "additional leave" all the time) are obviously entitled to.

I doubt that William is truly sorry or honestly understands the point as he is not the only person in the Windsor-Mountbatten family who occasionally lacks common sense big time. He will only be annoyed that he got caught and hate the media even more for placing the stories on their front pages, forcing him to apologize.

To look at it from a positive angle - all this is still cheaper than doing a presidential election campaign every four years

 

[Isana]

What about the wimps of supervisors who didn't tell him off? He wasn't on that helicopter alone. So he planned the route, they okayed it and then he flew somewhere, got off and they just flew back without asking any question? What did they think he was doing where he was left off? Secret military exercises? Certainly not!
Just like CH tried to put the blame on the RAF back in April they now have their revenge and try to shift the blame back on William alone as if noone else was involved in planning and carrying out these flights. They are all gutless cowards! William shouldn't even have come up with the idea to combine duty and pleasure (that's his fault) and the RAF supervisors should have had the guts to tell him no when they saw where he wanted to go and that he wanted to be dropped off there (at 2 occasions).
The flights over Sandringham and Highrove are not a problem, IMO because it doesn't matter where you fly around in a helicopter really. Where does it say pilots must not fly over their family homes?
About the Middleton thing, I am not sure. It depends whether what was reported in April was true namely that the RAF occasionally uses private fields etc as practise areas. If not - then it was an abuse of power (again not sanctioned by the supervisors present). If the RAF occasional does this, it was not a breach of any rules and not a private pleasure ride either since noone got off the helicopter. Or is there a rule forbidden pilots to be watched by family or friends when practising outside of military bases?

 

[Skydragon]

What about the wimps of supervisors who didn't tell him off? He wasn't on that helicopter alone. So he planned the route, they okayed it and then he flew somewhere, got off and they just flew back without asking any question? What did they think he was doing where he was left off? Secret military exercises? Certainly not!

It would appear that they were led to believe that he had been granted special leave to use the copters. It must have been incredibly difficult to question a young man intent on using his social rank to outwit his comrades. Easy to do, Grp Capt P told me to write a flight plan for IOW on X day of the week, would it occur to anyone that he was not apparently telling the whole truth?

After the events, survival kicks in, did you check that he had been given permission, who did he say OK'd it, Oh bugger, lets hope nobody finds out because people will go about calling us wimps, even though unlike William WE might be in Iraq or Afghanistan next week!

About the Middleton thing, I am not sure. It depends whether what was reported in April was true namely that the RAF occasionally uses private fields etc as practise areas.

It is not normal practise to use a friends field or anything of that sort. Whilst practise is encouraged in a variety of spots, they are normally known and regularly used places.

 

[muriel]

It would appear that they were led to believe that he had been granted special leave to use the copters.

Is there a reliable source you can attribute this comment to?