As Prince William steps up his royal responsibilities in the absence of King Charles III and Princess Catherine — who have faced separate medical scares over the past few weeks — he's making sure to keep his loved ones in his thoughts.
Tonight, the Prince of Wales attended a London Air Ambulance Charity Gala Dinner, a cause he has a special connection to, having served as a pilot for the East Anglia Air Ambulance Service from March 2015 to July 2017.
In a speech at the event, William paid tribute to the king, whose cancer diagnosis was announced earlier this week, and his wife, who is recovering from abdominal surgery.
“I would like to take this opportunity to also thank you for the kind messages of support to Catherine and to my parents, especially in recent days. “It means a lot to all of us,” William began, jokingly adding: “It’s fair to say that the last few weeks have been focused on my medical ” To some extent. So I thought I'd get an air ambulance to get away from it all!
Charles' cancer was identified during a recent procedure he underwent to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia. Bazaar She understands the condition is not prostate cancer, although Buckingham Palace has so far declined to specify the Queen's prognosis.
As for the Princess of Wales, Kate returned to her home in Windsor, after undergoing abdominal surgery on January 16. A royal source said: “The princess is in good spirits.” Bazaar When I got out of the hospital. She is not expected to return to her royal duties until after March.
Elsewhere in William's speech, he paid tribute to another famous face among the guests: Tom Cruise.
“Tom, if you wouldn't mind not borrowing any of the new choppers for the next one Mission: Impossible“It would be appreciated,” the prince joked. “We've all seen on our screens that — how can I put it? — you seem to have a different take on 'normal wear and tear' than the rest of us. He's not the type to turn off.”
Read William's full letter below.
Good evening everyone. Thank you all for attending. And thank you to those whose hard work made this evening possible.
I would like to take this opportunity to also thank you for the kind messages of support to Catherine and to my parents, especially in recent days. This means a lot to all of us.
It's fair to say that the last few weeks have been somewhat 'medical' focused. So I thought I'd get an air ambulance to get away from it all!
But, seriously, we come together tonight to help as many people as possible benefit from first-class care under the flying lifelines of London Air Ambulance.
As a former East Anglian Air Ambulance pilot, I know how important the work of air ambulance teams across the country is, and the real difference they can make in saving lives by providing urgent medical care wherever injury occurs.
Here in London, the current aircraft have served admirably. But our capital needs a new fleet. And we Against time. The proof is really in the name of the appeal. Come September, we need two new redbirds – equipped with the latest equipment, such as night vision devices – in our skies.
I know you wouldn't be here if you needed so much convincing. But just wait to hear Milana's story later about how the air ambulance and its amazing teams gave her a second chance at life.
I would also like to take this opportunity to mention my fellow pilot Tom Cruise. Tom, thank you so much for supporting us tonight.
And Tom, if you wouldn't mind not borrowing any of the new choppers for the next one Mission: Impossible, I'll be grateful. We've all seen it on our screens – how can I put it? -You seem to have a different view of “normal wear and tear” than the rest of us. He's not the type for an amateur.
Anyway, thank you so much everyone for being here tonight and for supporting this wonderful cause.
All of you, every single one of you, are life savers.
As associate editor of HarpersBAZAAR.com, Chelsea keeps her finger on the pulse of all things celebrity news. She also writes about social movements, connecting with activists leading the fight for workers' rights, climate justice, and more. Offline, she's probably spending a lot of time on TikTok, rewatching Emma (the 2020 version, of course), or buying another corset.
“Travel junkie. Coffee lover. Incurable social media evangelist. Zombie maven.”
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