04-06-2025
William in accommodation pledge as he dishes out bacon rolls to soldiers
The Prince of Wales has pledged to raise the accommodation concerns of soldiers as he handed out bacon and sausage rolls to their families.
William showed his interest in the welfare of the men and women from the Army Air Corps (AAC) in his role as their Colonel-in-Chief and said the issue would be landing on a desk.
He lightened the mood when he joked, after asking one soldier if he spent enough time with his family 'some of them might not want to see you that much – it's a mixed bag'.
Wearing camouflage military uniform and the AAC's iconic blue beret, William arrived at Wattisham flying station in Suffolk in a Wildcat Helicopter, a reconnaissance aircraft in the AAC's fleet.
The prince is a former RAF helicopter search-and-rescue pilot who later spent two years flying air ambulances and he flew himself back home after the visit to the AAC's headquarters to meet military personnel and their families.
During a break in a physical exercise outdoor session, he told a group of servicemen 'I'm going to have a chat about accommodation, make sure they look at that', and went on to say 'if they listen to me, that's another matter', and said the issue would be landing on a desk.
When he asked another group about accommodation and only received smiles in response, the prince said: 'I'll take that away, a lot of smiles going on, that's all you need to say.'
William later served bacon rolls and sausage baps in the Archer's Breakfast, a weekly social event held by 664 Squadron for its personnel and their families, and said the food was 'very good-smelling, making my mouth water'.
A long line of servicemen and their families quickly formed and the prince quipped 'nothing worse then the smell of bacon in the room and you cannot eat it'.
Outside the cafe, William chatted to servicemen and their families including the children of Warrant Officer Class 2 Matthew Foster, Ida, eight, and five-year-old Archie.
Asked by William what they liked, Ida replied 'school' while her younger brother opted not for lessons but 'play'.
The AAC is the combat aviation arm of the British Army and is made up of several regiments and units including 664 Squadron, and uses Wildcat battlefield reconnaissance and Apache Attack helicopters to seek out and destroy enemy forces.
When William first arrived he entered a camouflaged covered tent, a mock-up of a mobile planning headquarters used when AAC regiments are on deployment, and got to grips with a laptop used to plan missions under the watchful eye of Lance Corporal Sulabh Ale.
He ended his visit by presenting a King's Commendation for Valuable Service and award a group of soldiers their promotion from Corporal to Sergeant.
