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Prince William keen to return to air ambulance amid coronavirus

Prince William reportedly wants to return to the air ambulance service amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The 37-year-old royal spent two years as an air ambulance pilot before stepping down in 2017, and sources have claimed he is considering rejoining the service in order to ease the pressure on current National Health Service (NHS) staff during the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19.

Britain's Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, starts his final shift with the East Anglian Air Ambulance based out of Marshall Airport, near Cambridge, England, Thursday, July 27, 2017. The heir to the British throne is working the night shift at the East Anglian Air Ambulance, where he has been flying medical crews to emergencies such as traffic accidents for about two years. (Heathcliff O'Malley/Pool Photo via AP)
Prince William during his final shift with the East Anglian Air Ambulance. Photo: AP

“He knows the whole country is doing its bit and he wants to help,” a source told The Sun. “But it's complicated as he was originally grounded from the job so that he could become a senior working royal. But William is very keen to do anything he can to help.

“There are all sorts of practicalities to overcome such as fitting in on shift patterns. But he's in the right place now if he wants to do it.”

The news comes after William - who has Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, four, and 21-month-old Prince Louis with his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge - was reported to have said he “misses” working with the NHS during a visit to 111 call-centre staff in Croydon, South London, earlier this month.

Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (L), arrives in a red London Air Ambulance at the Royal London Hospital in east London on January 9, 2019. - The Duke of Cambridge visited London's Air Ambulance to recognise the work that the organisation's first responders carry out delivering life-saving treatment across London. (Photo by Ian Vogler / POOL / AFP)        (Photo credit should read IAN VOGLER/AFP via Getty Images)
The Duke of Cambridge visited London's Air Ambulance to recognise the work that the organisation's first responders carry out. Photo: Getty

Tracy Pidgeon, 54, governance lead and call-handler, said the Duke was asking about how busy they have been, and what shifts everybody was doing.

“We were saying everybody was working really hard. He misses the helicopter, being on the front line. He just said he misses it,” she said.

William also became patron of the London Air Ambulance Charity earlier this month, and boss Garrett Emmerson said the royal would be "welcome" to join the service "any time".

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 07: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge shares a joke with (L-R) Doctor Flora Bird, Consultant in emergency medicine at the Royal London Hospital and Paramedic Steve Jones about how clean their uniforms are, as he attends the London's Air Ambulance Charity gala at Rosewood London on November 07, 2019 in London, England. Prince William is Patron of London's Air Ambulance Charity's 30th Anniversary Campaign. (Photo by Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Prince William is Patron of London's Air Ambulance Charity's 30th Anniversary Campaign. Photo: AP

With additional reporting by Bang Showbiz.

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