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Prince William makes secret Afghan trip to meet with troops

by Dave Keating | April 30, 2008 at 12:50 am

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Though he's not serving in a combat zone like his brother Prince Harry, Prince William, the second in line to the British throne, flew into Afghanistan over the weekend to meet with British troops. The news comes after Prince William reently attracted media attention by landing a helicopter in the backyard of the parents of his grilfriend, Kate Middleton.

Prince William flew into Afghanistan for a secret visit over the weekend to meet with British troops, a royal official said Tuesday.

William, 25, piloted a C-17 Globemaster transport plane on part of the flight to Kandahar in the country's troubled south Sunday, according to a spokesman for Clarence House, the official residence of William's father, Prince Charles.

"Obviously, one day he's going to be head of the armed forces," the spokesman said, speaking anonymously in line with royal policy. "It was going to be natural for him to see operations in the theater."

William, second in line for the British throne after his father, spent three hours on the ground talking with troops. He then flew back by way of the Al-Udeid airfield in Qatar, returning to Britain on Monday afternoon.