Prince William on thrills of flying and wedding nerves

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Prince William talked about his job, colleagues and pre-wedding preparations in a media interview

Prince William has spoken of his pride in his sometimes "hairy" work as an RAF rescue helicopter pilot and the debt he owes to his "family in the sky".

The prince was speaking as his grandmother, The Queen, prepares to visit his base, RAF Valley on Anglesey.
The prince has completed more than 12 missions so far with search and rescue colleagues.
He also revealed nerves at his impending wedding at London's Westminster Abbey on 29 April.
He is due to marry long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton.
The demands of the job and the skills involved were immediately apparent to Prince William on assuming duty, he said.
"It definitely is advanced flying and it's rewarding - put the two together and it's a fantastic job.

End Quote Prince William

"Everyday you come into work and don't know what's going to happen, it's quite exciting in that sense.

"It's unpredictable but at the same time, it's great to get to go out to save somebody's life hopefully or at least make a difference to someone and when you know that they are in trouble you do everything you can to try and get there."
He said he had always worked hard to prove he was in post on his own merits, rather than because of his royal status.
"I wouldn't want to be here for any other reason other than that I've proved myself and I can do the job," he said.

Prince William says there is still 'a lot' to do in preparing for his wedding

And he credited his colleagues with welcoming him into the ranks.
"I'm incredibly proud to be among the search and rescue guys and very privileged to be flying with some of the best pilots in the world," he said.
"It's a team effort and I've got here through help from everyone and we all help each other.
'Demanding' "With the team environment there is in the cockpit, it's very much a big family in the sky and the guys do a fantastic job."
But he said the technical demands of the job can make it "emotional" and "demanding" at times, especially when flying at night through the mountains of Snowdonia, when winds are high and visibility is poor.
And he joked: "It can get very hairy especially when you've got somebody like me at the controls."
The prince said he "loved" being on Anglesey where he is pretty much left alone "to knuckle down to the job" by the locals.
And he admitted "the whole thing" of his wedding is already giving him sleepless nights.
"I did a rehearsal the other day and my knees started tapping quite nervously, so it's a daunting prospect and very exciting but there's a lot of planning still to be done in the last four weeks."
He would not be drawn on the finer details of the stag do his brother, Prince Harry, organised recently, only crediting him with pulling off a "military operation" and saying he was pleased with how it went.