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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| William visits Afghanistan troops | William visits Afghanistan troops |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Prince William has made a secret visit to meet British troops in Afghanistan. | |
| The prince, 25, who has been awarded his RAF pilot's wings, flew a military transport plane for part of the journey and arrived in Kandahar on Monday. | |
| He spent three hours with UK service personnel at the airfield before returning to the UK. | He spent three hours with UK service personnel at the airfield before returning to the UK. |
| A Clarence House spokesman said the Prince of Wales and the Queen had given their permission for the confidential trip, which had been a "success". | |
| The prince flew in a C-17 Globemaster plane which left RAF Brize Norton, in Oxfordshire, on Sunday and reached Afghanistan the following day. | The prince flew in a C-17 Globemaster plane which left RAF Brize Norton, in Oxfordshire, on Sunday and reached Afghanistan the following day. |
| 'Without a hitch' | |
| A Clarence House spokesman said: "The purpose of the trip was for the prince to familiarise himself with the operations of the RAF in theatre." | A Clarence House spokesman said: "The purpose of the trip was for the prince to familiarise himself with the operations of the RAF in theatre." |
| He said the visit "had passed without a hitch". | |
| The whole trip took about 30 hours, the spokesman added. | |
| After leaving Afghanistan, William flew on to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. | After leaving Afghanistan, William flew on to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. |
| Earlier this year, Prince William's younger brother Harry was serving on the front line in Afghanistan but his tour of duty was cut short after a media blackout broke down. | |
| The leak led to fears Harry would be targeted by the Taleban and he was returned to the UK having served for 10 weeks. | |
| 'Morale boost' | |
| Prince William's trip to Afghanistan has come at the end of his training with the RAF, which is designed to prepare him for the day when he is head of the armed forces. | |
| Earlier this month, he was presented with his pilot's wings by his father, Prince Charles, at a graduation ceremony. | |
| Former royal press secretary, Dickie Arbiter, said the prince's trip would have been good for RAF morale. | |
| "Albeit only a few hours on the ground, it was good for his training, good for the RAF," he said. |