Prince William starts new job training to fly air ambulance missions... but will take paternity leave after baby number two is born next month
- Prince William started new job with Bond Air Services today
- Is training for company that runs East Anglian Air Ambulance service
- The royal is expected to start flying missions in the summer
As if preparing for fatherhood second time around wasn't challenging enough, Prince William has also started a new job.
The Duke of Cambridge, 32, has officially started work with the company that operates the East Anglian Air Ambulance service.
He's now working for Bond Air Services, which runs air ambulance and police aviation operations and is training so he can start flying rescue missions in the summer.
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Former RAF pilot Prince William has started training for his new role with Bond Air Services
The Duke of Cambridge, pictured here during a visit to south London on Friday with the Duchess of Cambridge, will start his job barely a month after becoming a father for the second time
Kensington Palace said in a short statement: 'The Duke of Cambridge has today started work as an employee of Bond Air Services.
'Over the coming months he will undertake job-specific training before he begins piloting missions for East Anglian Air Ambulance during the summer.
'The mandatory training will involve simulator, aircraft and in-flight skills training.'
William has begun work a few weeks ahead of the birth of his second child and is likely to take paternity leave, as he did for his first child Prince George, who was born in July 2013.
A spokesman for Bond Air Services would not discuss the length of the leave the Duke could receive but added: ‘Like other pilots, he will be entitled to paternity leave.’
He said: ‘He has come to do a job as a professional, a pilot, and we’re very happy he’s going to be a pilot.’
William poses in front of a Sea King helicopter at RAF Valley in Anglesey, Wales, in 2013 after finishing his tour of duty as a RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot
William passed his Air Transport Pilot's License exams in March, completing 14 written exams on subjects including the principles of flight and navigation.
The second-in-line to the throne will work with medics responding to emergencies ranging from road accidents to heart attacks.
The stint will be William's main job, although he will also continue to take on royal duties and engagements both in Britain and overseas.
His new role was announced shortly after he touched down in Tokyo for a seven-day tour of Japan and China in February.
The Duchess of Cambridge joins William, resplendent in his RAF uniform for The Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012
It's thought that he, the Duchess of Cambridge and their two children will relocate to Anmer Hall on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
The Grade II listed Georgian pile has reportedly undergone a £1.5million refurbishment, with the driveway re-routed and new trees planted to offer the family more privacy.
The prince has completed seven and a half years in full-time military service after beginning his career with the Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals) and later served with The Royal Air Force, with his final posting as an RAF Search and Rescue Pilot.
The royal left operational service in the Armed Forces in September 2013.
A spokesman for Kensington Palace said: 'Shortly before departing for Japan and China, The Duke completed and passed his Air Transport Pilot's Licence exams, which he required before starting work as an Air Ambulance Pilot.'
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