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Celebrity

20th Dec 2021

The Queen begs Prince William to stop flying helicopter amid safety concerns

Sarah McKenna Barry

The monarch has asked William to refrain from flying.

Queen Elizabeth II has reportedly urged her grandson Prince William to stop flying his family in the helicopter as she has safety concerns.

An inside source told the Sun that while the monarch is confident in William’s skills, she’s asked him to refrain from flying with his family.

The source said her worries are keeping her up at night.

They said: “Her Majesty has told close friends and courtiers that she would like William to stop flying himself, particularly in bad weather, as helicopters are not the safest form of transport.”

They continued: “She knows William is a capable pilot but does not think it is worth the risk for all five of them to carry on flying together and can’t imagine what would happen. It would spark a constitutional crisis.”

“The Queen has told William she is worried that, however good he is as a pilot, bad weather and accidents can strike at any time.

“The Queen is delighted in the way William and Kate have risen to the challenge in recent years and knows the monarchy is safe in their hands.”

The source added: “She thinks the future is bright with them at the helm after Charles but if something happened to him and the family it doesn’t bear thinking about.”

William is an avid pilot and learned to fly during his time in the Royal Air Force, where he worked with the air ambulance and as a search and rescue pilot. While he normally uses a private pilot when flying with his family, he is known to get behind the controls as well.

In the past, he has flown his family a distance of 115 miles from Kensington Palace to Anmer Hall in Norfolk. Earlier this year, he received a loan of Bell 429 Global Ranger Aircraft.