The Duke of Cambridge has signalled that he will extend his RAF service beyond next year, because he hopes to start a family away from the spotlight of royal duties.
Prince William, preparing for his six week deployment to the Falkland Islands at Mount Pleasant Complex .
The Duke appears to be relishing his latest posting to the Falkland Islands as a search and rescue helicopter pilot, but was widely expected to leave the Armed Forces next year to become a full-time working royal.
Now, however, he has signalled that he will extend his RAF career and start a family as a serviceman.
The second in line to the throne is understood to have decided to stay on beyond mid-2013, when his current three-year tour of duty ends.
The move could allow the Duke, 29, and the Duchess of Cambridge, 30, to begin to raise a family together in the military, away from the spotlight of official royal life.
Having already served for six years, the choice of an extended career in the Forces would break with recent royal tradition.
A senior royal aide said: "The Duke is very keen on his flying, very good at it, and he wants to continue with his military career.
"Should the Duke and Duchess choose to have children within the next few years, he is keen to bring them up as children of a serviceman for as long as possible.
"He is in no hurry to take up a more prominent role within the Royal Family, and there is absolutely no pressure from the Queen or anywhere within the royal household for him to do so.
"The Duke is conscious of other members of the Royal Family, including his grandfather, who gave up their military careers to take up greater official responsibilities, but he is not keen to do this if he doesn't need to.
"When the time comes, down the line, he wants to be able to look servicemen in the eye and say 'I did my time'."
The Duke's decision comes despite a surge in popularity following his wedding last year, which is set to continue with appearances at celebrations for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee this year.
While some courtiers are understood to be keen to build on the royal wedding "bounce" factor and hope that the Duke and Duchess will increase their public duties, the Duke, who was commissioned into the Armed Forces in 2006 and began a six-week stint in the South Atlantic earlier this month, is known to be sensitive at being seen to encroach on his father's role as heir to the throne.
Following a recent poll that found 56 per cent of the public would prefer him over the Prince of Wales as their next king, the Duke let it be known that there was "no question" over whether the Prince of Wales would be the next monarch.
The Prince of Wales served in the RAF and the Navy between 1971 and 1976, taking command of a ship for his final months of active service. He left, aged 28, to support the Queen for her Silver Jubilee and to take on more official duties thereafter.
The Earl of Wessex also spent three years in the Royal Marines as a university cadet, but after graduating from Cambridge decided to pursue a career in theatre and television production before taking on full-time official public duties in 2002 to support the Queen for her Golden Jubilee.
In a recent interview, the Duke of Edinburgh, who joined the Royal Navy in 1939 and served throughout the Second World War, spoke of his "disappointment" at giving up his career to support the Queen upon her accession in 1952.
Prince Philip, who rose to the rank of Commander, admitted that he had found it hard to leave his job "at the most interesting part of my naval career" to be the Queen's consort.
The Duke of York served in the Navy for 22 years between 1979 and 2001. In 2001, he became the UK's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, and increased his official duties supporting the Queen.
Following the completion of his current tour of duty at RAF Valley in Anglesey, the Duke of Cambridge may choose to extend his service there or take on a new, three-year operational tour at another UK base.
Under current arrangements, search and rescue is provided jointly by the MoD, operating Sea King helicopters from eight RAF and Navy bases, and by four civilian bases operated under contract to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
The Government recently announced plans to privatise the service and switch the search and rescue force to civilian-only crews by March 2016, when the force's fleet of Sea King helicopters is retired and when the Duke may choose to increase his royal duties.
Source:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-william/9076450/Prince-William-to-put-military-service-before-royal-duty.html
"Should the Duke and Duchess choose to have children within the next few years, he is keen to bring them up as children of a serviceman for as long as possible.
"He is in no hurry to take up a more prominent role within the Royal Family, and there is absolutely no pressure from the Queen or anywhere within the royal household for him to do so.
"The Duke is conscious of other members of the Royal Family, including his grandfather, who gave up their military careers to take up greater official responsibilities, but he is not keen to do this if he doesn't need to.
"When the time comes, down the line, he wants to be able to look servicemen in the eye and say 'I did my time'."
The Duke's decision comes despite a surge in popularity following his wedding last year, which is set to continue with appearances at celebrations for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee this year.
While some courtiers are understood to be keen to build on the royal wedding "bounce" factor and hope that the Duke and Duchess will increase their public duties, the Duke, who was commissioned into the Armed Forces in 2006 and began a six-week stint in the South Atlantic earlier this month, is known to be sensitive at being seen to encroach on his father's role as heir to the throne.
Following a recent poll that found 56 per cent of the public would prefer him over the Prince of Wales as their next king, the Duke let it be known that there was "no question" over whether the Prince of Wales would be the next monarch.
The Prince of Wales served in the RAF and the Navy between 1971 and 1976, taking command of a ship for his final months of active service. He left, aged 28, to support the Queen for her Silver Jubilee and to take on more official duties thereafter.
The Earl of Wessex also spent three years in the Royal Marines as a university cadet, but after graduating from Cambridge decided to pursue a career in theatre and television production before taking on full-time official public duties in 2002 to support the Queen for her Golden Jubilee.
In a recent interview, the Duke of Edinburgh, who joined the Royal Navy in 1939 and served throughout the Second World War, spoke of his "disappointment" at giving up his career to support the Queen upon her accession in 1952.
Prince Philip, who rose to the rank of Commander, admitted that he had found it hard to leave his job "at the most interesting part of my naval career" to be the Queen's consort.
The Duke of York served in the Navy for 22 years between 1979 and 2001. In 2001, he became the UK's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, and increased his official duties supporting the Queen.
Following the completion of his current tour of duty at RAF Valley in Anglesey, the Duke of Cambridge may choose to extend his service there or take on a new, three-year operational tour at another UK base.
Under current arrangements, search and rescue is provided jointly by the MoD, operating Sea King helicopters from eight RAF and Navy bases, and by four civilian bases operated under contract to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
The Government recently announced plans to privatise the service and switch the search and rescue force to civilian-only crews by March 2016, when the force's fleet of Sea King helicopters is retired and when the Duke may choose to increase his royal duties.
Source:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-william/9076450/Prince-William-to-put-military-service-before-royal-duty.html
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