I miss my life in search and rescue, says Prince of Wales
The Prince of Wales admitted that he missed search and rescue work as he took to the seas with a lifeboat crew in Cape Town.
The Prince began his final day in South Africa with a visit to Simon’s Town Harbour, home to the country’s largest naval base.
He met volunteers working for the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) to hear about their lifesaving work and what inspired them to get involved.
Asked by one member of the crew if he had ever done search and rescue work, he replied: “I miss this life. Any chance to get back, I’ll take.”
Before donning a life jacket and putting to sea with the crew, the Prince asked how choppy the water was and joked that he should possibly be wearing more kit so he did not get wet.
He also revealed that he was trying to teach his three children about rip tides and admitted he wished his family was with him on the trip.
The Prince trained as a search and rescue helicopter pilot at RAF Valley in Anglesey, North Wales, before working as a pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance from March 2015 until July 2017.
He was greeted in Simon’s Town by Mike Vonk, the chief executive of the NSRI, and given a short tour of the base before chatting with members of the team about mental health support for first responders, an issue about which he feels particularly strongly.
“Nice windy day today,” he joked. “How are the seas today? It’s quite choppy!”
High-tech equipment
In the operations room, the Prince was shown the various pieces of equipment and technology that the team uses to monitor the waters.
He appeared impressed, saying he had never seen such kit before, and joked that he would have to download the app used by the team at home so he could track them.
“We are trying to teach the children to understand currents,” he said. “The problem with rips is that you don’t know where they are going to appear.”
The Prince asked if rip tides occurred on every beach in Cape Town. “Driving down the road here, if you look out you can see so much silt being taken out,” he said. “It’s good to use those apps to inform your work.”
Capt Andrew de Kock told him: “It’s changed our lives.” The Prince replied: “I bet it has.”
The Prince asked about the gaps between each lifeboat station and how many miles each crew covered. He also asked if it was predominantly tourists who got into trouble as locals were more informed of the dangers.
Capt De Kock asked him about his efforts to promote access to swimming lessons through his Royal Foundation.
“Bearing in mind the UK is an island, we should all know how to swim,” the Prince said. “It’s a life skill that might save your life one day.”
The Prince then donned a red waterproof coat and life jacket before the boat slowly made its way out of the base headed for Kalk Bay.
The Prince was greeted by huge, cheering crowds as he arrived in Kalk Bay, many waving South African flags.
As he took off in an impromptu walkabout, he shook dozens of hands and told locals he had enjoyed “the most amazing” few days and did not want to leave.
He was given beaded key rings to take home for his family.
Kate Wardle, 46, from Kalk Bay revealed she had had them especially made – handing him two in the shape of a W and a C and three in animal shapes for the children.
“Thank you very much, they’ll love those. Never go home empty handed, that’s important,” the Prince said.
He told the crowd: “I love Cape Town, I’ve had the most amazing week here, I’ve really enjoyed it. I don’t want to go!”
He added: “My children would love to be here, so would Catherine.”
In the harbour, a small gaggle of protesters shouted: “You’re not welcome”, “go home” and “you’ve got our diamond” – believed to be a reference to the Cullinan diamond, the largest rough-cut diamond ever found, which was mined in South Africa in 1905 before being presented to King Edward VII.
One man held a placard that said “William you have no sovereignty in our country.”
However, much larger numbers tried to yell louder to drown them out, telling them, “You don’t talk for us, we’re a rainbow nation,” and shouting: “We love you, William.”
Earlier, a group of fishermen protested because they were not included in the engagement, which was focused on sustainable fishing, despite working in the harbour.
Duwayne Baulse, 29, who has been a fisherman for 15 years, shouted angrily from his fish stall kept apart from the Prince by a cordon.
