By KUNA,
London : The second in line to the British throne Prince William has made a secret flying visit into Afghanistan to meet frontline troops, a royal spokesman revealed here Wednesday.
The Prince met service personnel at Kandahar airfield for three hours last Monday before returning to the UK later that afternoon.
The purpose of the trip was for the Prince to familiarise himself with Royal Air Force (RAF) operations in a battle situation.
His father, the heir to the throne Prince Charles and the British Queen Elizabeth gave their consent to the trip, the royal spokesman added.
During the exercise William flew a military transport plane which left the RAF base of Brize Norton, in southern England, last Sunday, arriving in Afghanistan the next day.
He spent three hours chatting to personnel at Kandahar before flying on to Al Udeid Air Base, in Qatar.
“The whole trip lasted around 30 hours. The purpose of the trip was for the Prince to familiarise himself with the operations of the RAF in theatre,” the spokesman explained.
He described the trip as a “success”, saying that “it had passed without a hitch.” Secrecy had surrounded William’s visit, which was classified as confidential.
Last month the Prince was presented with his pilot’s “wings” (certificate) by his father at a graduation ceremony.
William, 25, known in the RAF as Flying Officer Wales, is coming to the end of a four-month attachment with the RAF that has taught him about the service’s ethos, traditions and military role as he prepares to head the armed forces one day. He is following in the footsteps of his father who completed his flying training course in August 1971 and graduated that year as a Flight Lieutenant.
Next month William will undertake a number of official engagements followed by some leave before beginning an attachment with the Royal Navy at the beginning of June.
The secondments are part of a “familiarisation” exercise to help the Prince understand all the Armed Forces, which he will one day head.
William’s visit to Afghanistan comes after his younger brother Prince Harry served in Helmand Province for 10 weeks.
Harry became the first member of the British Royal Family to serve on the military front line, but his tour of duty was cut short after a media blackout broke down, prompting fears for the Prince’s safety.