Prince William joins David Beckham to view swish new £8m helicopter hours after brother Harry’s glitzy awards bash
PRINCE William has joined David Beckham as they view a new swish £8m helicopter donated to the London Air Ambulance Charity at RAF Northolt.
Wills was set to test drive one of two new aircraft with the footballing legend in the seat next to him.
The prince arrived at the base on Tuesday wearing a smart navy suit paired with a light-blue shirt.
Beckham wore similar but with a white shirt ahead of the exciting test fly.
The England legend shook Wills’ hand and bowed as they stood at the nose of the helicopter before climbing into the cockpit.
Kensington Palace posted pictures of the pair with London Air Ambulance crew ahead of the adventure.
The royal account wrote: “Celebrating the launch of London Air Ambulance Charity’s new helicopters with David Beckham!”
Sadly, due to bad weather the flight has had to be cancelled.
The latest choppers are the result of the ‘Up Against Time’ fundraising appeal which was launched in 2021 – and William is the patron of.
Hollywood star Tom Cruise and Arsenal football club manager Mikel Arteta were among the guests at a gala fundraising dinner in February for the charity’s appeal.
The appeal raised £16 million enabling the purchase of two new H135 helicopters – after fears the capital would be left without air ambulances.
The single biggest donation came from the charity’s partnership with Omaze – which raised £4 million in six weeks.
At the event, William said: “Here in London, the current aircraft have served magnificently. But our capital city needs a new fleet.
“And we are Up Against Time. The clue really is in the appeal’s name.
“By September, we need the two new red birds – decked with the latest kit such as night vision – in our skies.”
William, a former air ambulance pilot, is today meeting hero pilots and engineers.
He was originally due to fly in a new chopper to a new helipad at the Royal London Hospital, but that was also cancelled due to bad weather.
London’s Air Ambulance Charity was established in 1989 following concerns people were dying because of delays in getting them medical help.
The service pioneered the doctor-on-board model for air ambulances and continues to bring A&E treatment to the scene.
The flight is taking place just hours after brother Prince Harry was in London for a glitzy awards bash.
It is not known if Harry met with Wills or dad King Charles during his quick visit.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, made the solo trip to attend WellChild Awards where he met with seriously ill youngsters and their families.
He donned a sophisticated navy blue suit, crisp white shirt and vibrant light blue tie to present an award for Inspirational Child, aged 4 to 6, and deliver a speech.
It marked the duke’s thirteenth appearance after being made charity patron 16 years ago.
He presented an award to Noah Nicholson, six, from Grimsby.
The brave youngster weighed just two pounds when he was born prematurely at 27 weeks.
Since then, he’s had 28 ops, 14 of which were life-saving procedures, and spent the majority of his childhood on hospital wards.
Noah has cerebral palsy, chronic lung disease and short bowel disease – meaning he requires constant round-the-clock care.
At the ceremony Noah threw his soft toys at the prince and laughed as Harry picked them up.
Prince Harry noticed that Noah was carrying a giraffe toy named “Raffy” – the same toy the six-year-old had when they first met in 2019.
Prince Harry and Prince William's military experience
HARRY served with the British Army for ten years where he rose to the rank of Captain.
He carried out two tours of Afghanistan including a two-month stint in Helmand.
The Duke of Sussex was then promoted to the rank of Lieutenant with The Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals) on April 13, 2008.
Harry later qualified as an Apache helicopter commander in 2013 after three years of training with the Army Air Corps.
While on a five-month tour in Afghanistan, he served as a co-pilot gunner sharing flying duties and taking control of the weapons of the two-man Apache.
William served seven years in the military, with more than three years as a search and rescue pilot.
He left the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 2013 as a rescue pilot to focus on charity interests.
After leaving operational duties with the Armed Forces, Prince William retrained to become an air ambulance pilot.
William worked with the East Anglian Air Ambulance in 2015.
But in January 2017, Kensington Palace announced that he would be completing his work with his last shift on July 15.
He said: “Is this the same one? No way! Every parent has a spare. I’ve got at least six spares.
“My daughter Lili has these Lovies.”
Harry jokingly told Noah that he was “so naughty” after he kept throwing “Raffy” and a white cat toy named George in his direction.
He also hailed a group of “little legends” honoured at the awards for “uplifting all those around you” despite serious illnesses.
And he paid tribute to the children and teenagers who act as carers, fundraisers or just carry on with life as they cope with debilitating conditions.
Harry told the young people and their families: “Thank you for your courage, your perseverance, your kindness and of course your humour.
“And thank you for being you and uplifting all those around you. The WellChild Awards is an event that never fails to inspire me.
“The stories of young people who battle against the odds, living lives filled with medical procedures, hospital stays and endless appointments, remind us all of the strength of the human spirit.
“For many of us it is a daily life we can hardly imagine, and yet somehow, the young people I meet are always smiling and every room they walk into seemingly lights up with warmth and positivity.”