Prince William appeared to successfully execute an emergency-landing drill while piloting a Sea King helicopter in Prince Edward Island on Monday.
Under grey, rainy skies, William, who serves as a search-and-rescue pilot in the Royal Air Force, was in the cockpit wearing a black helmet and green flight uniform, as the helicopter gently landed in the water at Dalvay By-The-Sea, slowly taxiing along before taking off again.
The aircraft made several landings, first with Col. Sam Michaud at the controls, then with William taking over, officials said.
A crowd of about 2,400 invited guests, dressed in rain coats and sweaters, watched the plane from a grassy lawn.
Among the spectators watching on intently was Kate, who had changed from the cream dress she appeared in Monday morning into a dark blue coat and red scarf wrapped around her neck.
Formal training exercises are required to last one hour, so the duke piloted the hulking aircraft to several water landings to become fully certified.
The water bird emergency landing procedure is commonly used by Canadian pilots in search-and-rescue missions.
Prince Edward Island has pulled out all the stops to make the most of the insatiable international coverage of Will and Kate on its red shores.
There was a 20,000-strong crowd waiting near the provincial legislature for Will and Kate — dozens of whom camped out overnight — when the couple were officially welcomed Monday morning.
Those gathered howled in anticipation when the duke's flag was unfurled from the upper balcony, and then roared even louder when the couple stepped through the double wooden doors a moment later.
After waving a smiling to the shrieking crowd briefly, William and Kate joined P.E.I. Premier Robert Ghiz on stage.
"It is quite a moment for Catherine and me to be standing here in Atlantic Canada, in front of Province House, where Canadian federation was forged," William told the crowd.
"Here, in the crucible of Canadian nationhood, we look forward to meeting many of you."
Ghiz welcomed the royal newlyweds to the province and emphasized the island's close ties to the monarchy, right down to its namesake, Prince Edward Augustus, Queen Victoria's father. Before turning the microphone over to William, Ghiz offered the duke some marital advice based on his own "five glorious years" of marriage to his wife, Dr. Kate Ellis Ghiz, who stood beside the duchess on stage.
"Your Royal Highness, it's very important to remember that Kates are always right," Ghiz said.
He also invited the couple to return to P.E.I. in 2014 to attend celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference, which helped spawn confederation.
After the high-profile Sea King session, the royal couple was scheduled to head to a Dragon Boat race before making their way to Summerside for further festivities.
Kate has apparently been looking forward to their visit to Canada's smallest province because of what media reports say is her childhood love of the books of the red-headed orphan Anne of Green Gables.
After the morning speeches, with a light rain spitting on a seemingly oblivious crowd, the royal couple descended the stairs from the stage then split up to greet enthralled fans lining barricades on both sides of the square.
A woman in a black straw hat leaned through the crowd to pass William a small bouquet, then stood gazing open-mouthed at him, hands clenched into fists, as he chatted with the next person.
Chelsea Willis, 19, and Sarah Devoe, 20, arrived at Province House at 7 p.m. Sunday night, passing the night curled up in sleeping bags and subsisting on McDonald's and Tim Hortons coffee in hopes of a close encounter.
"You'll only see this once in your lifetime," said Willis, perched on a camping chair behind a sign hanging from a barricade reading, "Chelsea loves Will & Kate."
Cari Vanlingen, 54, had travelled from Halifax to claim her spot next to Willis and Devoe. She said a woman who lived nearby brought them homemade biscuits and jam late Sunday night then returned with fresh cinnamon buns in the early hours of Monday morning.
Asked what motivated her to camp out overnight for a glimpse of Will and Kate, she sighed, eyes gleaming.
"I've always looked at it as a fairy tale and wanted to be a princess myself," she said. "Kate is amazing. She's so down-to-earth, not as princessy as I thought she'd be."
The overnight wait paid off for Willis, Devoe and Vanlingen, who all got to shake William's hand. Willis giggled, eyes almost completely closed with glee, as she handed the prince a small bouquet.
Vanlingen nearly came undone completely, flapping her arms excitedly and comparing notes with the other two women after William passed by, and then wiping away tears, one hand clutched to her chest, as the reality of her moment with the prince set in.
After the walkabout — Kate sheltered from the pattering rain by a huge black umbrella held by a staff member — the couple climbed into Canada's state landau.
Kate and William climbed into the state landau first, followed by Ghiz and his wife, and Kate leaned across the landau to wipe the rain off their seats for the P.E.I. couple before they sat down. Then the vehicle rolled off down Great George Street, escorted by the RCMP musical ride horses and carried down to the harbour by the cheering thousands who finally got their royal moment.
Under grey, rainy skies, William, who serves as a search-and-rescue pilot in the Royal Air Force, was in the cockpit wearing a black helmet and green flight uniform, as the helicopter gently landed in the water at Dalvay By-The-Sea, slowly taxiing along before taking off again.
The aircraft made several landings, first with Col. Sam Michaud at the controls, then with William taking over, officials said.
A crowd of about 2,400 invited guests, dressed in rain coats and sweaters, watched the plane from a grassy lawn.
Among the spectators watching on intently was Kate, who had changed from the cream dress she appeared in Monday morning into a dark blue coat and red scarf wrapped around her neck.
Formal training exercises are required to last one hour, so the duke piloted the hulking aircraft to several water landings to become fully certified.
The water bird emergency landing procedure is commonly used by Canadian pilots in search-and-rescue missions.
Prince Edward Island has pulled out all the stops to make the most of the insatiable international coverage of Will and Kate on its red shores.
There was a 20,000-strong crowd waiting near the provincial legislature for Will and Kate — dozens of whom camped out overnight — when the couple were officially welcomed Monday morning.
Those gathered howled in anticipation when the duke's flag was unfurled from the upper balcony, and then roared even louder when the couple stepped through the double wooden doors a moment later.
After waving a smiling to the shrieking crowd briefly, William and Kate joined P.E.I. Premier Robert Ghiz on stage.
"It is quite a moment for Catherine and me to be standing here in Atlantic Canada, in front of Province House, where Canadian federation was forged," William told the crowd.
"Here, in the crucible of Canadian nationhood, we look forward to meeting many of you."
Ghiz welcomed the royal newlyweds to the province and emphasized the island's close ties to the monarchy, right down to its namesake, Prince Edward Augustus, Queen Victoria's father. Before turning the microphone over to William, Ghiz offered the duke some marital advice based on his own "five glorious years" of marriage to his wife, Dr. Kate Ellis Ghiz, who stood beside the duchess on stage.
"Your Royal Highness, it's very important to remember that Kates are always right," Ghiz said.
He also invited the couple to return to P.E.I. in 2014 to attend celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference, which helped spawn confederation.
After the high-profile Sea King session, the royal couple was scheduled to head to a Dragon Boat race before making their way to Summerside for further festivities.
Kate has apparently been looking forward to their visit to Canada's smallest province because of what media reports say is her childhood love of the books of the red-headed orphan Anne of Green Gables.
A woman in a black straw hat leaned through the crowd to pass William a small bouquet, then stood gazing open-mouthed at him, hands clenched into fists, as he chatted with the next person.
Chelsea Willis, 19, and Sarah Devoe, 20, arrived at Province House at 7 p.m. Sunday night, passing the night curled up in sleeping bags and subsisting on McDonald's and Tim Hortons coffee in hopes of a close encounter.
"You'll only see this once in your lifetime," said Willis, perched on a camping chair behind a sign hanging from a barricade reading, "Chelsea loves Will & Kate."
Cari Vanlingen, 54, had travelled from Halifax to claim her spot next to Willis and Devoe. She said a woman who lived nearby brought them homemade biscuits and jam late Sunday night then returned with fresh cinnamon buns in the early hours of Monday morning.
Asked what motivated her to camp out overnight for a glimpse of Will and Kate, she sighed, eyes gleaming.
"I've always looked at it as a fairy tale and wanted to be a princess myself," she said. "Kate is amazing. She's so down-to-earth, not as princessy as I thought she'd be."
The overnight wait paid off for Willis, Devoe and Vanlingen, who all got to shake William's hand. Willis giggled, eyes almost completely closed with glee, as she handed the prince a small bouquet.
Vanlingen nearly came undone completely, flapping her arms excitedly and comparing notes with the other two women after William passed by, and then wiping away tears, one hand clutched to her chest, as the reality of her moment with the prince set in.
After the walkabout — Kate sheltered from the pattering rain by a huge black umbrella held by a staff member — the couple climbed into Canada's state landau.
Kate and William climbed into the state landau first, followed by Ghiz and his wife, and Kate leaned across the landau to wipe the rain off their seats for the P.E.I. couple before they sat down. Then the vehicle rolled off down Great George Street, escorted by the RCMP musical ride horses and carried down to the harbour by the cheering thousands who finally got their royal moment.
