Doting dad! Prince William reveals he works hard to spend ‘any free time he has with his children’ during chat with rock legend Eric Clapton at London’s Air Ambulance Charity gala
- Prince William, 37, appeared in high spirits as he attended a charity gala
- Donned a suit and tie for event, which was in aid of London’s Air Ambulance
- Admitted to Eric Clapton that he wanted to spend ‘any free time’ with children
- Duke of Cambridge worked as pilot for East Anglian Air Ambulance for 18 months
Prince William has spoken of how his dedication to being a father at the London’s Air Ambulance Charity gala this evening, as he revealed that he spends ‘any free time’ with his three children, George, six, Charlotte, four, and Louis, one.
The Duke of Cambridge, 37, looked dashing in a black tuxedo and bow-tie as he joined members of the London Air Ambulance at the star studded charity event.
William, who worked as a pilot for East Anglian Air Ambulance for 18 months in 2016, appeared in high spirits as he laughed and joked with crew members, as well as other attendees including Eric Clapton.
He told the rock legend he has been prioritising family time, saying: ‘It’s my children. It’s quite hard spending time with them. Any free time I get, I see them.’
Prince William, 37, appeared in high spirits as he donned a black suit and bow tie for a charity gala for London’s Air Ambulance
During the event, Eric Clapton asked the royal if he was still flying, to which William admitted any free time he gets, he spends with his children
Prince William has been patron of the London Air Ambulance service since January, with the service marking it’s 30th anniversary this year.
The Duke worked for the East Anglian service for 18 months, but left in January 2017.
He said he would leave his role – which he started in July 2015 – and spend more time in London where his children will be schooled.
In a statement at the time, issued on his behalf by Kensington Palace, he said it was a ‘privilege’ to fly with the organisation.
The Duke of Cambridge jokes with Doctor Flora Bird, Consultant in emergency medicine at the Royal London Hospital and Paramedic Steve Jones about how clean their uniforms are
The statement added that William and Kate wanted, as they have in previous years, to increase their official duties on behalf of the Queen and their charity work, which would mean more time in London.
But tonight Prince William appeared in high spirits as he spoke with members of staff, as well as patients, of the ambulance service.
At one stage, he joked with the staff about how clean their bright orange uniforms were.
He was also seen sharing a laugh with Captain Andy Thompson and Yair Shahar, a patient who was seriously injured in a collision with a car while riding his bike in Enfield, north London, on April 7, 2016.
At one stage the Duke joked with Doctor Flora Bird, Consultant in emergency medicine at the Royal London Hospital, Paramedic Steve Jones and Doctor John Chatterjee, Anaesthetic Consultant at Guys and St Thomas Hospitals, about how clean their uniforms were
Mr Shahar, 50, an Israeli product manager for a digital camera company, suffered a crushed pelvis and major internal bleeding. He was treated at the side of the road by ambulance crew but would almost certainly have died if he had not been flown to hospital.
His wife Yael, 47, said: ‘The charity has been amazing. Not only did they save his life but they have kept in touch and been there for important milestones.’
He went on to meet with rock legend and singer Eric Clapton, 74, as well as Bernie Ecclestone, who were both attending the charity event.
The gala at Rosewood London, a luxury hotel in the capital, was hosted by television presenter Natalie Pinkham.
Prince William looked dashing in a smart black tuxedo, with a black bow-tie for the charity gala dinner
Guests included Eric Clapton, former Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone and his wife Fabiana, Bernie’s daughter Tamara and her husband, art gallery owner Jay Rutland, fashion designer Daniella Helayel, and Lord and Lady Archer, who hosted a charity auction.
The second in line to the throne and Clapton, 74, appeared to be old friends.
‘Hi Eric,’ William said.
They talked about a mutual interest, which may have been their love for the Caribbean island of Mustique. ‘I was there the other day,’ Clapton said.
The Duke was seen chatting to members of staff at the event, which was celebrating the charity’s 30th anniversary
Prince William was seen joking with Doctor Flora Bird, Consultant in emergency medicine at the Royal London Hospital, Paramedic Steve Jones and Dr Tom Hurst, Consultant with London Air Ambulance about how clean their uniforms were
William told him that looking after his children meant he had less free time to pursue hobbies.
He went on to reveal he found it ‘quite hard’ finding spare time to spend with his family, and admitted: ‘It’s the children. It’s quite hard spending time with them. Any free time I get I see them.’
Later, the Duke of Cambridge gave a speech to attendees of the gala.
William, a former air ambulance pilot, is patron of the charity’s 30 Years Saving Lives campaign, which aims to highlight its vital work delivering lifesaving treatment across London and raise funds for new facilities. It has already raised almost £2million.
The Duke appeared in high spirits as he chatted with attendees of the London’s Air Ambulance Charity gala
The Duke appeared overjoyed to see Eric Clapton, with the two discussing their shared love of Caribbean island Mystique
The air ambulance, which has treated more than 40,000 patients and has attended most major incidents in the capital including 7/7, the London Bridge attacks, and the Croydon tram crash, operates around the clock 365 days a year, serving the city’s 10 million population.
It costs around £10 million each year to deliver the service. The air ambulance, which treated people across the entire south east of England at first, was created in 1989.
Jonathan Jenkins, chief executive of London’s Air Ambulance, hailed William as ‘one of our own’ and thanked wealthy donors at the fundraising dinner.
He said: ‘Your efforts tonight will help us save lives today, tonight and going forward. It’s as simple as that.’
Prince William was seen laughing and joking with Captain Andy Thompson and Yair Shahar, a patient who was in a road traffic collision, as he attends the London’s Air Ambulance Charity gala
It comes after a busy day for the Duke, who earlier joined his wife Kate Middleton as they met with Grenfell Tower and terror attack victims during a visit to personnel from across the emergency services.
William and Kate began their day at the launch of the National Emergencies Trust at St Martin-in-the-Fields church in Central London.
The new independent charity will provide an emergency response to disasters in the UK, and has been set up after several terror attacks since 2017.
In a poignant speech, William praised the ‘humbling’ ‘resilience and strength’ of survivors and the communities who pull together in the wake of tragedy and disasters.
He even praised the children who ’empty their piggy banks’ to help those in need.
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