Prince William pledges to raise accommodation concerns of soldiers in Suffolk
It comes following his visit to Wattisham Airfield field where he serves sausage and bacon baps
The Prince of Wales has pledged to raise the accommodation concerns of soldiers as he handed out bacon and sausage rolls to their families at Wattisham Airfield field in Suffolk.
William showed his interest in the welfare of the men and women from the Army Air Corps (AAC) in his role as their Colonel-in-Chief and said the issue would be landing on a desk.
He lightened the mood when he joked, after asking one soldier if he spent enough time with his family "some of them might not want to see you that much - it's a mixed bag".
Wearing camouflage military uniform and the AAC's iconic blue beret, William arrived at Wattisham flying station in a Wildcat Helicopter, a reconnaissance aircraft in the AAC's fleet.
The prince is a former RAF helicopter search-and-rescue pilot who later spent two years flying air ambulances. He flew himself back home after visiting the AAC's headquarters to meet military personnel and their families.
The Prince of Wales has pledged to raise the accommodation concerns of soldiers
During a break in a physical exercise outdoor session, he told a group of servicemen "I'm going to have a chat about accommodation, make sure they look at that", and went on to say "if they listen to me, that's another matter", and said the issue would be landing on a desk.
When he asked another group about accommodation and only received smiles in response, the prince said: "I'll take that away, a lot of smiles going on, that's all you need to say."
William later served bacon rolls and sausage baps in the Archer's Breakfast, a weekly social event held by 664 Squadron for its personnel and their families and said the food was "very good-smelling, making my mouth water".
A long line of servicemen and their families quickly formed and the prince quipped "nothing worse then the smell of bacon in the room and you cannot eat it".
The Archers Breakfast was created in honour of Daniel Pope, who sadly passed away from liver cancer in 2016 at just 21 years old.
His parents, Lorna and Mike, were also there and were able to have a few moments with the Prince, talking about their son's love of the Apache helicopters.
"It's an honour and privilege"
After serving food, William moved on to awards, presenting a King’s Commendation for Valuable Service as well as awarding soldiers their promotion from Corporal to Sergeant.
The man receiving the King's Commendation was Captain Kenneth Copeland, who has been involved for 23 years.
When asked about receiving the award he said, "we don't do things for recognition, we do it because it's our job, but to be recognised for the work of me and my team was special and even more so for my family to be here to see it, it's an honour and privilege. "
This is the first Commendation that's been awarded since Charles became King.
Captain Copeland said it was extra special coming from the Colonel in Chief and William asked him about what it was like working in one of the hottest countries in the world.