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| Photo Credit: AP |
The Duke of Cambridge
is to quit his role as an air ambulance pilot this summer so he can
take up full-time royal duties in support of the Queen, Kensington
Palace confirmed today. The Duchess of Cambridge
will also step up the number of royal engagements she undertakes, and
the couple will move back to London with their children Prince George
and Princess Charlotte.
A spokesman for the family also confirmed that Prince George will go to school in London, starting in September, as The Telegraph reported last month.
Since 2014 the family has been
based at Anmer Hall in Norfolk, but from later this year their main home
will be Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace, their official London
residence. The Duke has told East Anglian Air Ambulance that he will not be
renewing his two-year contract with them when it lapses in the summer. The Duke said: "It has been a huge privilege to fly with the East
Anglia Air Ambulance. Following on from my time in the military, I have
had experiences in this job I will carry with me for the rest of my
life, and that will add a valuable perspective to my royal work for
decades to come. "I would like to thank the people of East Anglia for being so
supportive of my role and for letting me get on with the job when they
have seen me in the community or at our region's hospitals. "I would especially like to thank all of my collegues at EAAA, Babcock and Cambridge Airport for their friendship and support. "I have loved being part of a team of professional, talented people
that save lives every day. My admiration for our country's medical and
emergency services community could not be any stronger."
With the Duke of Edinburgh in his
96th year and the Queen preparing to celebrate her 91st birthday in
April, the onus has been on the Duke and Duchess for some time to take
on a greater share of royal engagements.
A Kensington Palace spokesman
said: "Their Royal Highnesses are keen to continue to increase their
official work on behalf of The Queen and for the charities and causes
they support, which will require greater time spent in London. "Prince George will begin school in London in September and Princess
Charlotte will also go to nursery and eventually school in London as
well." Kensington Palace did not announce where Prince George will be sent
to school, though he is widely expected to attend Wetherby
pre-preparatory school in Notting Hill, where the young Princes William
and Harry were once pupils.
The Telegraph
