Prince William and the Air Ambulance

He already supports 22 charities.

Harry was criticised in the Times yesterday for his 'work' in Africa.

Someone has already said that Prince Charles was a mere figurehead of the Prince's Trust- I was the one who defended him.

People are only too keen to knock Diana for her 'charity work'.

RAF people tend to do something related once they leave.

I seem to remember that when William and Harry went to help with some charity packing aid they were heavily criticised for it just being a photo opportunity.

If he is sensible he will keep any practical charity work a deep secret.
Katherine Kent did. She would have been useless had the media known- it was the very fact that she was able to get on with it. She also had personal tragedy to be of some use. I have had personal tragedy and I wouldn't wish it on anyone but it does give insight and empathy that I couldn't possibly have had aged 33 yrs.

I hate the way these days that no one is allowed to do things quietly, outside the public eye- if they are not seen it doesn't count! Who can possibly say what he does for charity? Maybe when he is 83yrs,like Katherine Kent, people will say how wonderful he was. They didn't say that about her 50 yrs ago!

Just shows how bad habits can so easily picked up Leticia

Who is twisting words now?

So Diana's charity work was a waste of time , she should have waited forty years and The Princes Trust was a failure because Charles was too young . Harry is wise to spend three months in Africa rather do any charity work, he is far too young.

I have looked it up and it costs about £800,000 to train an RAF helicopter pilot ( a lot less than planes) but still a complete waste if just abandoned. At least he is using it in a worthwhile way and I don't think that the country is awash with unemployed helicopter pilots.
He is also 33 yrs old. Katherine Kent wasn't doing all her charity work at that age- it all came later. She was also doing it in secret. She had worked in a school in Hull for years before the public heard about it. How can we possibly know what William might be doing in secret? Despite all the people on here who appear to know all about him,and his family, we don't know him at all- and I should think that he wants to keep it that way! Katherine Kent sensibly did. You are not much use in a practical sense if it is all reported on in the press - you are more of a hinderance than a help. The publicity is good for fund raising but Anniebach appears to be saying that he should have a hands on role and not a figure head role.
I didn't do any charity work at 33 yrs - I did at 63 yrs. I then had time and life experience and was useful.

She is a remarkable woman- but she isn't in line for the throne and she has had decades to prove her worth.
He is very young- he has plenty of time to work with charities.
At the moment he is using his training to do a useful job. I don't think anyone is saying 'isn't he wonderful saving lives' - he is a helicopter pilot!
It would be very wasteful to have had all that money spent on his training and then not use it. It must cost thousands to train to be a helicopter pilot. Most people stay in education to give them opportunities to do jobs they enjoy. If you can combine your hobby with work you are very lucky, but lots do and I can't see why it is a black mark against you to have a job you love as if it some sort of indulgence. I loved my job.
I expect that once he has gained experience with a normal job, with normal people, he will be much more useful to a charity.

I think Katherine Kent a remarkable woman. No fanfare, just a truly good person.

I think in time, he will be one if the men. What he is doing is a privilege really, helping anyone in the dire circumstances that requires Air Ambulance will help him focus on the job in hand and meet his future subjects, for want of a better word, therefore integrating with people. Just hope he sticks at it for a few years at least. Di would be proud of her boys.

Leticia, not a case of what I would like him to do, I am thankful he is not out shooting animals every day. Flying his plane is a worthwhile way of using his time , my disagreement is with the - isn't he wonderful saving lives views. No he isn't , he is doing something he enjoys and it happens to involve rescuing injured people,

Where I think he would be of more use - there are many qualified to fly an air ambulance - would be working for centre point, shelter, hospices etc , there are few who could draw attention to charities as he could, as he does for animal welfare , he has chosen something he enjoys and I can understand this but it does not warrent a - isn't he caring, from me

There is one royal I always had great admiration for, Katherine Kent, she manned phones at the Samaritans, she delivered meals on wheels ,she was hands on at Helen House , all this without a scrape of publicity - except for fund raising for Helen House, this I know to be true .

You tell me what you would like him to do- bearing in mind that he is in direct line to the throne, has a personal fortune and a good education.
It needs to be something that everyone can't immediately criticise. Working for a charity is immediately out as Harry has had lots of criticism for doing that.

Leticia, if I know something I will say I know, otherwise I post my opinions as do you and all on this thread .

Leticia, I didn't expect an apology, how can you state as fact that I would not approve of anything he does? Do tell.

One thing I do admire him for and that is not subjecting his children to the circus his mother subjected him and his brother to, he does not use his children to get on the front pages of the press

You seem to know an awful lot about them, Anniebach. I would count myself as broadly royalist but have never seen them in RL, wouldn't go out of my way to see them and don't read all these facts that people appear to 'know' . I think he is doing a good job and working for the air ambulance is a sensible choice.

How do we know how much time he spends with charities. If I was him I certainly wouldn't tell anyone- much better to do these things in private if you want to be any use.

I do not like or dislike the windsors, I don't know them , I have my opinions on them as does all who are posting on this thread , I do not oooohhh and awww over them , have no cause to. They are who they are.

You do appear to criticise him being a pilot and not counting it as a real job because he enjoys it!
I do not apologise- my point is that there is nothing that he could do that you would approve of- he can't possibly win.

I post my opinion on the windsors and get snide comments , so a poster can be criticised but not a windsor, most odd .

Leticia, I do think you are being rather childish or bitchy, I did not say he should work in a factory and I did not say he should not be a pilot because he enjoys it,

Perhaps an apology for twisting my posts would be more appropriate than an apology for your use of exclamation marks ?

I thought Diana and Charles were matched up by the Queen Mother and Diana's grandmother who was one of the Queen Mother's Ladies in Waiting.

Would it be better if he saw a lot of blood?!

I find it quite surprising how much they know, Maggiemaybe!
Of course it would be the 'wrong' charity, whatever he chose. The poor chap can't do anything right! Now we get that he shouldn't be a pilot because he enjoys it- as if other pilots don't become pilots because they enjoy it! It appears that he should work in a factory to please some people, as if anyone with that amount of money and education would choose to work in a factory!
I apologise for the amount of exclamation marks but really!!

He doesn't need a job. He is choosing to do one, a worthwhile one, using his skills and working with ordinary people. He is doing what everyone else does and choosing a job he loves.

I remember the criticism on here ( or it could have been MN) when Harry left a 'real' job to work for a charity which apparently isn't a 'real' job. ( which is a real shame for those who work hard for charities).

I am not a fan of Prince Charles, but I think it unfair to say that he has just given his name to the Prince's Trust.

I think we should give them a break. I would absolutely hate to be born into royalty.

Anniebach I'm sure you'd manage to find something wrong with it!

Lona, can there be a wrong charity?

Air ambulances do not race around the sky all day and night, like firemen they wait for call outs Mumsy, unlike on the ground ambulance teams , they do spend time waiting I doubt he will witness much blood, the pilot does not tend the injured , they sit at the controls ready for a very swift take off or to whinch up stretchers if they are at an accident where the ambulance can't land .

Air ambulances fly with two separate professions , the paramedics and the air crew , with William they will have to also carry his bodyguard

He's the pilot, Mumsy. Not a paramedic.

I work for the nhs. PW will be surrounded with bodyguards. He will not be allowed to do a normal job (maybe through no fault of his own!!). He will be shielded from all the blood and gore that we normal nhs employees will endure as part of our training and normal day to day working. The air ambulance team DO NOT sit around playing cards and gettintpg to know each other. Don't knock it till you've tried it!!!... ��

The difference between Charles and William is that Charles couldn't distance himself from the throne as William is able to do for now. His job, after he left the navy, was to assume the heir in waiting role. It's been a long wait which has played into William's hands as there's not really that much he needs to do in the way of Royal duties until he becomes the heir to the throne.

My niece used to work for the Prince's Trust and spoke very highly of Charles and his role in the charity.