Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Prince Harry gives up Battle of Britain flypast Spitfire seat for last surviving RAF veteran

The Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, pose for a family portrait with their sons, Prince William, right, and Prince Harry, at Kensington Palace in London, on Oct. 6, 1984. Prince Harry was born on Sept. 15. Prince William was born June 21, 1982.

Prince Harry has sacrificed his place in a Spitfire on his 31st birthday to ensure the last surviving RAF fighter ace from the Battle of Britain could take place in a 75th anniversary flypast.
He gave up his seat to ensure veteran Tom 'Ginger' Neil and two wounded servicemen could still take part in the biggest gathering of Battle of Britain aircraft since the Second World War.

Around 40 Spitfires, Hurricanes and Bristol Blenheim bombers are flying in formation from Goodwood Aerodrome in West Sussex before dispersing across wartime airfields over the South of England.
The Prince was due to have a seat in one of four two-seater Spitfires taking part in the flypast. But when one of the vintage aircraft developed mechanical problems, he decided to step aside to ensure the event's special guests would still get to fly.
Tom Neil - the man Prince Harry gave his seat up for in the Battle of Britain tributeTom Neil - the man Prince Harry gave his seat up for in the Battle of Britain tribute  Photo: Rex Features
His spokesman said he wanted to make sure that 95-year-old Mr Neil, an ex-wing commander and Battle of Britain Hurricane and Spitfire pilot, would still be able to take part.
And he wanted to ensure that a former para and an RAF corporal who won places on a Spitfire scholarship training programme were also still able to take part in the display.
Security officials tell Prince to stand back and not cross runway at Goodwood Aerodrome as he inspects planes taking part in 75th anniversary flypast The Prince will fly in the Spitfire PV202 piloted by John Romain, managing director of the Aircraft Restoration Company at Duxford, Cambridgeshire.   Photo: EPA
Nathan Forster, a former private in the Parachute Regiment, from South Shields, Tyne and Wear, suffered severe damage to his left leg in an IED blast while on patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in 2011. And Corporal Alan Robinson, an RAF aircraft technician, from Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, lost a leg in a motorbike accident.
Earlier, Harry, sporting a rugged beard, set off on foot to inspect the aircraft lined up by the grass runway - and was admonished within minutes.
Prince Harry prior to taking part in the Battle of Britain Flypast  Photo: PA
But, as his group began to cross the runway, a security vehicle came speeding up and stopped the Prince and his group in their tracks.
He could be seen being told to stand back and not cross the runway and a few minutes later a small aircraft came in to land.
Prince Harry (second right) walks with (from left) Cpl. Alan Robinson, Nathan Forster and Matt Jones director of the Boultbee Flight Academy, past Battle of Britain aircraft at Goodwood AerodromePrince Harry (second right) walks with (from left) Cpl. Alan Robinson, Nathan Forster and Matt Jones director of the Boultbee Flight Academy, past Battle of Britain aircraft at Goodwood Aerodrome  Photo: PA
Harry was then cleared to cross and continue his inspection as rain poured down on the airfield.
The Prince was due to fly in the Spitfire PV202 piloted by John Romain, managing director of the Aircraft Restoration Company at Duxford, Cambridgeshire.
Prince Harry on the airfield at Goodwood Aerodrome   Photo: GETTY
But he will no longer be flying in the display as one of the four two-seater Spitfires has suffered mechanical problems.

The aerial display will be a tribute to the Second World War pilots famously dubbed "The Few" by wartime prime minister Winston Churchill for their efforts in defeating the Luftwaffe.
The Battle of Britain, as it happened on September 15, 1940
During the summer and autumn of 1940, 544 personnel from Fighter Command died as the RAF fought in the skies above southern England to force back the threat of any invasion by Hitler.

The 75th anniversary is likely to be the last major anniversary at which the surviving members of the pivotal conflict - who are now all well into their 90s - will be fit to take part.
Mr Neil, 95, an ex-wing commander and Battle of Britain Hurricane and Spitfire pilot, will lead the formation from the rear of a two-seater Spitfire - the symbol of Britain's fight against Nazi forces.
  Photo: The Art Archive / Alamy
The event has been organised by the Boultbee Flight Academy, based in Chichester, and two of the aircraft - a Spitfire and a Hurricane - fought in the famous battle.
Prince Harry sported a birthday beard at the Battle of Britain fleet inspectionPrince Harry sported a birthday beard at the Battle of Britain fleet inspection  Photo: PA
The Prince had ditched the razor during his summer working on conservation projects in Africa. And he kept his new look on his return to the UK, showing off a rugged ginger beard on Tuesday morning.
It is not the first time the fifth in line to the throne has grown a beard. Most recently he sported facial hair after his trek to the South Pole with wounded servicemen in December 2013.
Harry had shaved it off by the time he appeared at a press conference to discuss the event in January 2014, amid reports the Queen did not approve of her grandson's "Windsor whiskers".
The Queen did not mind royal men growing beards while they were away with the armed forces, but she expected them to be clean-shaven when they were home, it was reported.
Prince Harry pictured with a beardCharles, Prince of Wales and William, Duke of Cambridge  Photo: PA
The Duke of Cambridge grew a beard when he joined the Special Boat Service on a mission to Barbados in 2008. He kept it over the Christmas period and gave the public their first glimpse after a festive church service at Sandringham, Norfolk.
William and Harry followed in the footsteps of their father, the Prince of Wales, who was pictured sporting a beard at the Badminton Horse Trials in 1976.
The Duke of Edinburgh was also photographed with a well-groomed beard while on active service in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.