Prince William current events 22: May 2008 -

[giov]

Gallery from Belga Picture
Britain's Prince William (L) plays football with children from St Aidan's Primary School in Blackburn, north west England, on May 09, 2008. As patron of the English Football Association, (FA) the prince was visiting the school to see children taking part in the FA Skills Programme.
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My favourite pic:
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I wonder what they are saying!

[christinacg]

Prince William Addresses Helicopter Controversy - Prince William : People.com

[Skydragon]

Originally Posted by christinacg

Prince William Addresses Helicopter Controversy - Prince William : People.com

"I'm working on my license. I'm trying to do as much flying as I can.

If it was all about gaining his pilots license, I suggest he uses a commercial training company and pays for it himself! So yes it was misuse of taxpayer and MOD money!

[karla64]

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[giov]

More nice pics of Prince William with pupils at St Aidan s Primary School in Blackburn, 2008-05-09.
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[kpusa1981]

Could William have mispoken (ie meaning some further military flying quaification) If thatwas really what he met to say than it was totally wrong doing those flights whether he had pemission or not.
He looked good at Blackburn with the kids.

[Al_bina]

Originally Posted by Skydragon

If it was all about gaining his pilots license, I suggest he uses a commercial training company and pays for it himself! So yes it was misuse of taxpayer and MOD money!

The British public should just accept the fact that Prince William is using to taxpayer and MOD funds to indulge himself. Nothing else can be done. Prince Charles seems to approve of his son's endeavours to learn how to fly.

[christinacg]

Originally Posted by Skydragon

If it was all about gaining his pilots license, I suggest he uses a commercial training company and pays for it himself! So yes it was misuse of taxpayer and MOD money!

But isn't that what every other military person who trains to fly helicopters does...gets in hours by using tax money? Why should William get singled out.

[Mermaid1962]

From what I can see, the problem is that William got in his flight hours by taking off and landing in his girlfriend's lawn, flying himself and his brother to a stag party, and flying around his family's properties--which is probably what every trainee would like to be able to do during training but perhaps doesn't get the chance to do. To me, the problem isn't that William took these jaunts, but that neither he nor his advisors seemed to understand how bad this would LOOK to the tax-paying public. William came across as looking like a spoiled rich kid, and so now his public appearances are suspected as being PR shams to make up some goodwill among his future subjects. That's not my opinion, but that's what I'm picking up on.

Originally Posted by christinacg

But isn't that what every other military person who trains to fly helicopters does...gets in hours by using tax money? Why should William get singled out.

[Skydragon]

Originally Posted by christinacg

But isn't that what every other military person who trains to fly helicopters does...gets in hours by using tax money? Why should William get singled out.

No, they practice because that is required as part of their full training. They will end up putting their lives at risk! William will have no use to the RAF, if he wanted to get a private pilots license, he should pay out of his own pocket.

[ghost_night554]

I guess well from what I seem to understand what he's probably saying is that he wanted to get as much training as possible which I don't see anything wrong with. I guess since he had some functions to attend to they saw it as a good chance to test out his skills he had learned so far which would help him improve in his training. In William's mind he probably saw it as a free ride ( I hate to admit it)and a chance to get in some flying hours. Would most people allowed to do something like this probably not but again that's why people at the RAF were furious about this and why MOD released that statement.But was the ride completly useless in his training I'd say probably not but it most likely wasn't the right thing to do either.

[bad_barbarella]

Will William be king by himself.... and his wife stay a princess... because his grandfather is a prince not the king... sorry im just confused why people say things like "who is the future queen?" Wouldn't his wife remain a princess..

[Isana]

No the wife of a King becomes a Queen but the husband of a Reigning Queen (like Elizabeth II) isn't called King but Prince Consort (or gets another title). I guess this goes back to the old idea that the man would outrank the woman. Hence if the husband of the Queen was the King, he'd be in charge and considered "higher" in the hierarchy. So to ensure that everyone knows that the woman is the actual head of state, her husband is "merely" a Prince .

[bad_barbarella]

thanks i didnt realise that...

[giov]

Prince William at an under 18s water polo championship in Walsall West Midlands, 2008-05-10.
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[Mermaid1962]

It's great to see William out and making so many personal appearances. People on message boards have wanted this for so long that I'm surprised that there's not more positive comment than there is.