Royal heir farce!

Prince William sparks new fury as he drops in to impress lover Kate Middleton

By Ryan Sabey

PRINCE WILLIAM sparked fury last night after landing his £15,000-an-hour RAF helicopter in girlfriend Kate Middleton's back garden.

A military source told us: "At a time when there is a lack of kit in Afghanistan and Iraq this is a total waste of money."

The two-hour show-off stunt emerged just days after Wills was slammed for using another Chinook to fly himself and brother Harry to a stag weekend on the Isle of Wight.

READ: Princes meet soldier heroes

Kate and her parents Michael and Carole watched from their million-pound home as the poser prince practised a series of landings and take-offs on April 3 in the £10m chopper.

A royal insider said: "William has been in the RAF for quite a few months and obviously wanted to show off his skills to his girlfriend.

"There's nothing more macho than landing a helicopter in your girlfriend's back yard. He clearly hasn't lost the hunger to impress Kate.

"If you've got to practise taking off and landing in a field, it might as well be one close to the prospective in-laws."

Jaunt

But news of the episode has sparked furious criticism, following last weekend's jaunt when Wills flew himself and Harry to cousin Peter Phillips' stag do on the Isle of Wight in another Chinook—with an RAF pilot on board to fly it back.

One military source said: "At a time when the Armed Forces are short of money and there is a lack of kit in Afghanistan and Iraq this is a total waste of money. He uses a Chinook to land in his girlfriend's garden then travels to a stag party in one. Where will it end?"

Aviation analyst and RAF-trained pilot Jon Lake slammed the flight as "ridiculous and inappropriate."

He said: "This is an absolute waste of training hours on the Chinook helicopter that the military are hard-pressed to afford. No other pilot at Prince William's stage of training would be allowed anywhere near the left-hand seat of a Chinook.

"It's like a learner driver being given the keys to a Formula One car just because his father owns the racing team."

Nick Harvey, Lib Dem Defence spokesman, said: "The prince will look back on this and realise it was a PR own goal.

"It's going to leave a lot of people wondering where the sense of priority lies if very serious helicopters are being made available for this sort of thing at a time when they are in such extreme need."

And Matthew Elliot, boss of the Taxpayers Alliance, said: "When the military can't afford kit for our boys serving abroad and those at home have to put up with awful housing conditions the money could definitely have been put to better use."

The 25-year-old prince landed the chopper, which costs £15,000 an hour to operate, in the paddock of the Middletons' home in leafy Bucklebury, Berks,, during a 100-mile, two-hour training exercise.

He flew out of RAF Odiham, Hants, first travelling 16 miles to Kate's house under the instruction of his tutors.

William came up with the idea himself—claiming a shortage of landing spots in Hampshire. He asked permission from Kate's family and flew one circuit of the field before landing and then heading back to Odiham for further tuition.

The incident happened during William's intensive four-month training regime with the RAF. Experts say it is extremely unlikely the future King will ever see active service in a war zone.

His new-found love for flying will strike a chord with 26-year-old Kate's parents. Michael was an airline pilot and Carole an air hostess.

It was only this week the prince was criticised for using one of the RAF's 48-strong Chinook fleet to fly from RAF Cranwell, Lincs, to the Isle of Wight for his cousin Peter Phillips' stag do. The prince gained a welcome extra five hours at the bar with the 23-strong stag party by flying into RAF Bembridge.

The RAF defended the "legitimate" decision for the 250-mile flight, claiming it completed Wills' training by flying over London and across water.

The prince even had the cheek to give brother Harry, 23, a lift, picking him up at Woolwich barracks in south-east London.

It isn't the first time William has been criticised for using the RAF as a personal taxi service.

Skills

Field in which Prince William landed

In December 2005, he flew from Anglesey to RAF Lyneham, Wilts, on a 622mph Hawk jet so he could collect a pair of Army boots the following day.

Wills picked up his RAF "Wings" just ten days ago from father Prince Charles as Kate looked on.

The prince is due to complete his RAF training at the end of the month and will, later this year, complete his familiarisation programme with the armed forces by joining the Royal Navy. As revealed in the News of the World last year, he will be deployed on operations aboard a warship for several weeks.

He is likely to spend at least 30 days aboard a frigate or warship in one of the world's trouble spots.

Last night a Ministry of Defence spokesman defended the decision for the Chinook to land in the Middletons' field.

A spokesman insisted: "Battlefield helicopter crews routinely practise landing in fields and confined spaces away from their airfields as a vital part of their training for operations. These highly honed skills are used daily in conflict zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The sortie on April 3 was fully authorised and planned and was an agreed part of Prince William's attachment to the RAF."

Harry's up for fun-nel

HERE is William's brother Prince Harry scouring a pub for revellers to take part in his drinking challenge during cousin Peter Phillips' stag weekend on the Isle of Wight.

Our pictures show Harry carrying a funnel which he used to pour drinks down the throats of members of the 23-strong stag party and ordinary pubgoers.

War hero Harry, 23, who returned from a ten-week tour of duty in Afghanistan at the end of February, wandered around the pub for 45 minutes wearing a blue polo shirt with his nickname "Hazza" scrawled on the back.

Reveller John Merchant, 41, said: "Prince Harry was just being one of the boys. He was in great spirits and making it a real party atmosphere.

"He was wandering round the pub with a funnel in his hand looking for people who would take up his offer."

Nipples

Pubgoer Nick Wilcock, 46, said: "Harry saw that I was holding a vodka and Red Bull so he grabbed it from me and poured it down the funnel. He smiled at me and walked past saying, ‘Well done'. He was having a great time."

Harry and William stayed at the £40-a-night Rawlings hotel which allows guests to take advantage of a 24-hour licence. Harry persuaded female guests at the hotel to balance as many CDs on their nipples as possible, cheering loudly when one managed eight discs.

Wills also played pranks, getting two stunning blondes to pose in bed next to Peter and England rugby star Mike Tindall, who dates Peter's sister Zara Phillips.

Peter is due to marry Autumn Kelly on May 17 at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.