Page 389 - They Also Served

active serviceman came to an end in September 2013. The couple’s time out of the media spotlight in Anglesey was reminiscent of his grandparents’ time in Malta before Princess Elizabeth became Queen.
After official tours of Australia, New Zealand, Japan and China, William became a pilot with East Anglian Air Ambulance in July 2015, donating his salary back to the charity. As a first responder, he witnessed numerous traumas and later spoke of the cumulative effect on his mental health. A BBC commentator stated: ‘William has been exposed to the National Health Service in a way that no other senior royal has been or possibly will be’. In July 2017, he ended his attachment to concentrate on full-time royal duties. Since then, he has undertaken numerous overseas tours, presented awards at investitures and, in May 2022, attended the state opening of parliament as a counsellor of state. On 14th December 2018, he was the Sovereign’s representative at the commissioning parade at Sandhurst. Upon the death of Queen Elizabeth in September 2022, he became the Prince of Wales.
In addition to his duties, the prince supports a wide range of charities both at home and abroad, including conservation organisations, such as British Trust for Ornithology and the Tusk Trust. With three children securing the future of the House of Windsor, there is no doubt that the Prince of Wales will, one day, become the first British monarch to have trained at Sandhurst.
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