FUTURE KING WHO SERVED AT RAF VALLEY RECALLS HIS DAYS IN THE AIR

THE Prince of Wales said flying is his “happy place” when he reminisced with old air force colleagues about the “glory days” of serving with the RAF Search and Rescue Force.

- By TONY JONES and DAVID POWELL

Prince William meets aircrew and staff from No. 28 (AC) Sqn and No. 22 Sqn during a visit to RAF Benson

William chatted about flying Sea King helicopters on rescue missions when he visited an RAF base with the Crown Prince of Jordan, and described how their sound still goes “straight to my heart”.

When he met former colleagues and others in the mess at RAF Benson near Oxford, he was asked if he still spent any time in the cockpit, and the prince replied, “I do still fly, yeah - I keep my hours going.

“When you learn that skill set, you just don’t want it to go. I've definitely lost a lot of the skills I had, but I like to keep on top of my flying, keep doing it.

“And it’s my happy place, I love flying.”