William: Military training RAF/SAR/EAAA

usa1981 · February 26, 2008, 11:53:21 PM

A thread dedicated to discussion and articles regarding Wills time in training and in service with the RAF, SAR and EAAA. :RAFWilliam:

Does Prince WIlliam start his helicapoter training? Is it going to be March? :Royal: :yessir: Will their be pictures? :pics: :hmm:

wannable · January 13, 2009, 01:34:19 PM

http://www.shropshirestar.com/2009/01/12/william-back-at-county-base/

William back at county base.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/careers/lifeintheraf/youandyourfamily.cfm

Life in the RAF - You and your family.

QuoteWill I get to see my family and friends?
After initial training, you're free to go home at weekends if you're not on duty. Initial training includes weekends as well as weekdays. Generally after around three weeks you will be able to go home for a weekend.
Most people in the RAF work regular hours – Monday to Friday, doing an eight-hour day, with evenings and weekends free. If you're not on duty then after initial training you can leave the base whenever you want. You also get six weeks of paid annual holiday.
If your work keeps you away from home a few days or more, or at the weekends, you'll get the equivalent time off. Longer hours are only the norm if you're on an important mission or detachment.

QuoteWhat's the accommodation really like?
Accommodation during training
For the first weeks during basic training, you'll share accommodation with other new recruits so you can get to know them. There's about 14 people per room, so it's a great opportunity to build friendships. The RAF supplies your accommodation and food and will launder your bedding, but you'll be expected to do your own laundry (there's a launderette on base), look after your kit and equipment, and keep your sleeping area tidy.

Do I have to live on an airbase?
You live on base for your initial training so you can get to know people. It's also a chance to find out what life in the RAF is really like.
After that, it's your choice.

Living in the 'Mess'
You might choose to live on base in the 'Mess'. This is a bit like being in halls of residence at uni. You get subsidised accommodation and food, great leisure and sports facilities, and a real sense of community. It also makes budgeting simple as your rent and food costs will be deducted from your pay.
You might prefer to commute from home, or rent nearby.

Blue Clover · May 06, 2012, 02:41:26 AM

According to this article, Prince William will have to make a decision by the end of 2012. "The deadline has been imposed by the RAF's chain of command."

The article says that Prince William has the following options:

1. He can continue his career at RAF Valley, or relocate to another RAF base for a second three-year tour of duty.
2. He could also extend his current tour of duty for a short period.
3. He can take another posting within the Armed Forces, something he is said to be seriously considering.
4. The final option is for him to quit the Forces and focus full-time on the work of his charitable foundation and Royal duties.

Which option do you think Prince William will take?

RAF tells Prince he has to choose between flying and Royal duties | Mail Online

memememe · May 06, 2012, 03:52:44 AM

I think he will choose to extend his time in the RAF. He clearly isn't interested in being a full time royal - accepts it as his destiny but wants to delay it as along as possible and extending his service in the RAF will allow him to do that. It would also mean Kate won't have to undertake a full load either so will be at home with their future children and that those children might even have a couple of years of peace from the prying abusive demands of the public for photos all the time - precious days indeed for the family - something denied both William and his father.

Lindelle · May 06, 2012, 01:21:04 PM

What an awful position for him to be in. To decide this must be tearing him up and I mean that sincerely.

stepperry · May 07, 2012, 02:25:42 AM

16 December 2006 or 1 Jan 2007 - 1 Jan 2008: Second Lieutenant
1 Jan 2008 - 1 Jan 2009: Lieutenant, Fg Off & Sub Lieutenant
1 Jan 2009 - Current (6 May 2012): Captain, Flg Lt & Lieutenant

Prince William or should I say Flight Lieutenant Wales has only been military for 5 years 5 months or six years. He has only been in RAF 'full time' for 3 years which hardly a career even he adds three more years. However, I think maybe transferred to Reserve and possibly transfer so he have much more of a full Diary of Royal Engagements.

Jmax2 · May 07, 2012, 04:28:50 AM

Quote from: Jenee on May 07, 2012, 02:44:50 AM
I see no reason for William to give up the military now. He won't be King for decades, at least he is making himself useful in the RAF

Exactly! He may move to a position where he's on a less demanding schedule, especially since that will mean that Kate won't be all alone in being "full-time." But, I don't think he'll quit. There's just no reason for him to do it.

memememe · May 08, 2012, 12:39:02 AM

If he doesn't know what to do by now then The Queen has failed in one of her most important duties - training her heirs to replace her.

William has been trained from birth to be King one day - even going to visit the Queen from Eton for discussions etc. He is as fully trained now as he needs to be.

Jmax2 · May 08, 2012, 12:43:56 AM

memememe: You've hit the nail on the head. :goodpost:

Isla · May 08, 2012, 02:12:13 AM

Perhaps I am a bit naive in the ways of the royals, but I don't see how Prince William having a career is an issue? He is not the immediate heir to the throne, yet the RAF would have been well aware when they took him on that he would have to be treated differently (such as allowing time off for Royal Events etc.). This isn't something that Prince William has come into recently, so why now would the RAF raise a fuss? Personally I think it is great that he has a separate career. Given the state of the Eurozone and Britain's economy I think it a wise move not to rush the Duke and Duchess into "full time royal" status just yet.

Windsor · May 09, 2012, 02:48:28 PM

It is a fact that the Queen does not take kindly to ideas of abdication and retirement. :thumbsup:

sandy · May 09, 2012, 02:58:20 PM

Quote from: Jmax2 on May 09, 2012, 02:24:54 AM
Quote from: Trudie on May 08, 2012, 01:25:03 AM
Quote from: sandy on May 07, 2012, 02:14:04 PM
The point is nobody can predict how long William will wait before he becomes King. I think he needs to have some preparation. He could go into the reserves and be able to step up royal duties if he doesn't completely quit.
:
:goodpost: Totally reasonable Sandy I completely agree with you that would solve the problem of William and his need to be serving in the military which he seems to enjoy and stepping up as second in line to the throne.

Yes, but the Queen got the throne at 27, and seems to have had no more training than William has. She's doing fine. Honestly, I think if he can, he'll stay in the RAF. My guess is that he'll take another 3.5 year stint and work it out so that he be available for more public events.

Maybe he can train others to do what he does. That might make his schedule less time consuming.

The Princess Elizabeth was a stand in for her ailing father on major tours and royal appearances. She was active and didn't sit home (it's a myth that she was in Malta from the wedding to the time her father died). She had access to her father's State Papers and was working closely with him on training. She did a major tour with Philip of the U.S. and Canada and was en route to an Australian tour when her father passed on. She had a huge work ethic even back then. She had tons more training than William and at a younger age too!

She also became Queen at age 25.

William is not your average "military man" theoreticallly he would have to quit in the event of the incapacity of his father or grandmother and/or a serious terrorist threat.

cinrit · May 09, 2012, 03:58:08 PM

I've never seen any pictures at all of the Princess Elizabeth going over papers with her father, nor have I seen any pictures of Prince Charles going over papers with his mother. I'm sure both must have happened, though. Perhaps William has gone over papers with his grandmother, as well. I don't think we'd be allowed to have access to photos, though, because of the sensitivity of the papers. That said, I have no doubt that if the Queen were to pass on tomorrow, Charles would be able to step into the role comfortably. I also have no doubt that if both the Queen and Charles were to pass on tomorrow at the same time, William would be able to step in confidently. The Royals don't leave anything to chance.

Cindy

memememe · May 10, 2012, 04:08:17 AM

Quote from: cinrit on May 09, 2012, 03:58:08 PM
I've never seen any pictures at all of the Princess Elizabeth going over papers with her father, nor have I seen any pictures of Prince Charles going over papers with his mother. I'm sure both must have happened, though. Perhaps William has gone over papers with his grandmother, as well. I don't think we'd be allowed to have access to photos, though, because of the sensitivity of the papers. That said, I have no doubt that if the Queen were to pass on tomorrow, Charles would be able to step into the role comfortably. I also have no doubt that if both the Queen and Charles were to pass on tomorrow at the same time, William would be able to step in confidently. The Royals don't leave anything to chance.

Cindy

Exactly - The Queen has trained both William and Charles since they were born to take over one day.

They have both served as Counsellors of State so have signed documents and chaired privy council meetings etc and will continue to do so for the rest of their lives (Charles has been doing that since he turned 18 and William since he turned 21 - along with Harry and Andrew who will both continue in that role for many many years).

Yangkueifa · May 10, 2012, 04:54:51 AM

I totally agree. William has been trained in the important aspects of being King. he's also shown that he's able to handle the little things like cutting ribbons,etc. On walkabouts, he seems to connect well with people from all walks of life, shows compassion,empathy,etc.
I feel that William should not follow Charles in leaving the services too early. Lessons may have been learnt from how Diana was handled, but I think lessons were also learnt from how Charles was handled. We certainly don't want Wills hanging around for decades, waiting to be King! At least Charles has lands to manage. Wills won't even have that!

Lucy · May 10, 2012, 09:08:32 PM

Another Katie Nicholl fiction. The queen is pleased that William is serving his country in such a selfless way and has condoned it. The RAF have no complaints because he works when he is supposed to do so.

Windsor · May 11, 2012, 12:03:28 AM

Quote from: sandy on May 09, 2012, 04:05:09 PM
It's all in books about the Queen (pics of her working with her father)--how she worked with her father and stood in for him--it's even in the Shawcross book about the Queen Mum. I am not so sure about Will's stepping in to the role "confidently." He won't have time for all the vacations anymore and he has gotten used to a certain lifestyle.

The Princess stood in for the King on a few occasions, however never did the Princess deal with any of the official paperwork from the Red Boxes, it is safe to say that she probably did help the King with minor paperwork like private correspondence or Orders-in-Council approving government appointments, but the more serious papers were for the King, and the King only! This is probably the case today, the Prince of Wales and Prince William probably have 'trained' with the Queen when she is dealing with minor things, but the more sensitive stuff they probably never seen.

Trudie · May 11, 2012, 12:15:33 AM

I had read that when William was at Eton and going to Windsor for tea with The Queen she would ask how he was getting on and then she would tell him about her week. The idea being that if she discussed her week and who she met and other responsibilities she had it was a way of training him in a relaxed atmosphere. I even read that she would sneak in her own history lesson on her predecessors.

Windsor · May 11, 2012, 12:24:33 AM

Yes, it is true! The Queen grew very close to Prince William during his time at Eton, the Prince would often visit Her Majesty - not only would they share their experiences of the past week, but they would also go for walks and take out the horses too. I am sure The Queen used this time to help prepare Prince William for the role he will one day inherit. :)

Jmax2 · May 13, 2012, 03:15:11 PM

Quote from: Yangkueifa on May 13, 2012, 12:41:11 PM
I'm not at all sure about starting official BRF. duties too soon. Likelihood is higher that he'll have a long wait before he becomes king. Hanging around waiting to fulfill your destiny can be quite a strain, especially if you're not even the next in line. Charle's frustrations/discontent should serve as an eexample. Better to leave him in the army until he becomes Prince of Wales. That would be the logical time for him to start full public duties.
Imo, the things he needs to earn at present are not the public role, as he has demonstrated his ease with the public. What he needs to do now is learn about land management ( for the duchy of Cornwall ) as well as the behind the scenes running of the government plus knowledge of the realms and commonwealth. All these, obviously, would be more private than public, but of much more importance than cutting ribbons,etc.Of course, HM would not neglect this aspect of his training, so I think the Queen still knows best. :flower:

Plus, if he's already had a long and fulfilling career in the military, he won't feel such a need to "find a purpose" and may well be content to do the "smile and wave at the little people" sort of events. That way too William won't be given to "whinging" (my new favorite British word!) endlessly about how he is perceived in the public, or complaining about petty things like modern architecture.

Macrobug · May 13, 2012, 05:43:42 PM

I have absolutely no issues with the heir to the heir spending his time in the military while doing part time royal duties. He is getting a well rounded experience background. It isn't like he is spending his time sitting on a sunlounger staring at his navel.

Jmax2 · May 13, 2012, 11:47:24 PM

Quote from: sandy on May 13, 2012, 05:03:55 PM
William has no clue as to when he will be POW or King. I don't thnk he's all that well prepared. And being a royal is a lot more than "cutting ribbons" (I am surprised that some postersn here diminish royal duties so much."

We really have no way of knowing how "prepared" William is, or really, how much preparation is actually needed. And, really, what else do they do? They don't run the government, that's David Cameron and company. They don't actually deploy the army, again, David Cameron and company. Sarah Palin got into all sorts of trouble for assuming that the Queen did. There are certainly cheaper ways to promote charities. Besides, if Britains are asked why they think the country needs a monarchy they inveritably answer "tourism." At least online. So forgive me if I'm unconvinced. What does Prince Andrew do that's NEEDED? Not nice to do, or really brave or cool of him, but necessary for the UK or the commonwealth? What does Prince Charles do for that matter? And, please don't say "the Princes Trust." I'm sure it's a lovely organization, but if the need for something like it exists, someone will start it. You don't need princes for that. They bring no more attention to a charity than non-royals do. Honestly, the US has a boatload of charities, and no royals.

So what are they needed for if not ribbon cutting?

Quote from: sandy on May 13, 2012, 05:03:55 PM
I think WIll is just staying in the SAR to postpone taking up royal duties full time since I think his issues stem from being uncomfortable wth his future role. If he has this aversion, there are serious issues for him and the Monarchy in future.

I think this is really an unfair assumption. Nothing in PW's behavior suggests that he's shying away from Royal "duties." On the contrary, when he does events, he seems very enthusiastic (occasional comments aside.) Looking at from the outside in, the British public is dicey. They want the royals to be "seen." But they don't want to see too much. Yet, they gobble up every scrap of info they can about them.

I can see how the military affords William the ability to limit information, while still making public appearances. I still don't see him leaving, and I think it would be a grave miscalculation if he did. He's the most popular royal right now. Why blow that?

QuoteWhy could he not be given a Governorship, ( sorry , not putting this correctly)for NZ, Australia, or any other country in this realm? Allow him and his future family a time out of The UK, in this position.

I know that New Zealand, Australia, and Canada choose locals for this position, and they all have prescribed ways in which they do so. I'm not sure about the rest, but I'd imagine they aren't much different. If they were, QEII would already have posted family members to those locales.

I just don't think this is an option in 2012.

Yangkueifa · May 14, 2012, 07:06:18 AM

I apologise in advance for my inability to put in a clear and concise manner the actual roles of a monarch in a constitutional monarchy.
They are like a back up plan in case politicians and/or the military fail us. The monarch has to be above politics. To be able to fulfill their role, they must also be able to command the loyalty of the majority f the population and the military .As I have said, the British monarch has never had to use any of her discretionary powers to use as the UK is a mature democracy that functions well.
If an elected government refuses to dissolve parliament and call for elections when it's supposed to, the monarch can help.Obviously, if elections are called every 5 years, everything is as it should be and the monarch need not do anything except continue with their ceremonial role.

It's not the role of the monarch to lead rebellions. However, military personnel do swear an oath of loyalty to the monarch. Again, in a worst case scenario, eg military coup, the monarch can step in and encourage peaceful discussion to try and avert disaster. Again, as mentioned, this would be very unlikely to happen in the UK, but it has happened in other constitutional monarchies.

I hope I have managed to explain some of the more important reasons some countries have monarchs.I apologise if it's rather garbled, as English is not my first language.
I suppose that those who have lived under governments that have made us yearn for intervention from our monarch can appreciate how important having a good monarch is. And we envy the British their royal family.

RoyalB · May 14, 2012, 03:00:29 PM

I think William will choose to stay with SAR for a bit longer. I don't think he wants full-time royal duties just yet. He probably knows how his father was affected by his lack of a proper role, despite being Prince of Wales and all that entails. William wants to be useful in his own way and I expect he would be stubborn enough to do whatever was necessary to ensure he got his point across.

I think too that he will be criticised either way, whether or not he were to choose to exit SAR or not. It's been very expensive training him to do the job he is currently doing and I would think that it would have been rather a waste for him to give it up quite so soon after becoming fully qualified. However, I can see the other point of view too. Maybe some would feel he should move aside for someone else to take up the opportunity and make a proper career of it.

William will turn thirty next month. I reckon he could safely have another three years or so pursuing the military option before he were to take on full-time royal duties. Perhaps he and Kate will start a family during this time and they could have a few "quieter" years with some babies.

Whatever his decision, we will be seeing a lot more of both William and Kate this year, what with the Jubilee and the Olympics. I will be very interested to see what choice he actually makes (but probably not surprised.) ;)

RoyalB · May 14, 2012, 03:56:45 PM

Sandy, I thought William and Kate were living in a farmhouse or some such, but off base? Couldn't they start a family in just such a situation? I don't see them having to live on base and therefore, not able to have their children living with them. :shrug:

I think you're right about not indulging William too much and letting him have his own way but I feel he probably does get what he wants quite a lot of the time. I think he wants to do things his way and, as much as possible, in his own time and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he is quite capable of putting his point across very firmly.

I take your point that perhaps he should be stepping up to the plate and that now would be a good time for him to start doing royal duties on a full-time basis, especially as the Queen is not getting any younger but I feel he will be allowed to continue with his military career if that is what he wants to do.