Being surrounded by sickness, death, and serious injuries can take a toll on one’s mental and emotional wellbeing. So you can imagine how badly air ambulance pilots and crews would be affected. Prince William has recently opened up about the emotional impact of being a pilot for air ambulance flights. The Duke of Cambridge has been working as a pilot for East Anglican Air Ambulance for more than a year now. He has almost become the face of air ambulance industry in the United Kingdom.
Duke of Cambridge Shares His Thoughts During a Visit to Young Minds
Recently, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge paid a visit to Young Minds, a mental health charity for youth. When told that they would be made to listen in to real calls made by concerned parents to its helpline, he asked for an “easy one”. Opening up further, he informed volunteers at the charity about how he has been carrying a lot of things and would be in tears otherwise. Prince William said that he has been with too many sad families in air ambulance flights, so he won’t be able to handle “any more stuff”.
More Stories Beyond Air Ambulance Flights
In addition to opening up about the emotional impact that being an air ambulance pilot has had on him, Prince William also shared several personal stories during his visit. Speaking at Young Minds, he talked about how thinking about his GCSEs still made him nervous. This was an important revelation as Young Minds receives an increased number of calls during August when school results come out in England.
Prince William formerly worked as an RAF search-and-rescue pilot and has been on dozens of missions. All of his salary is donated to charity. His current work with East Anglican Air Ambulance is based out of Cambridge Airport.
