William to link up with Special Forces

Updated 12.53 Thu Jul 31 2008

Keywords: navy, airforce, special forces, army, Prince William

Prince William is to spend time with the Special Forces as he completes a series of military secondments later this year, Clarence House confirmed.

The Prince will visit members of the elite units in a non-operational environment this autumn.

The Special Forces consist of a number of highly trained specialised troop units including the Special Air Service (SAS), the Special Boat Service (SBS) and the Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR).

Clarence House would not confirm which branch of Special Forces the Prince would be spending time with.

The Prince has already completed attachments with the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy.

He has also served as a regimental officer in the British Army.

The young royal has been undertaking a series of secondments as part of a familiarisation process with the workings of the British Armed Forces.

As part of this final process William, who is an officer in the Household Cavalry regiment, will work closely with The Central Staff at the MoD enabling the Prince to see how the three branches of the armed services work together.

The Prince will also serve an attachment with the Army Air Corps where he will learn about helicopter capabilities and tactics.