William makes secret mission to Afghanistan

Not to be outdone by his brother Harry, Prince William undertook a high-risk, secret mission to Afghanistan at the weekend. He was one of the pilots flying a C-17 Globemaster military transport plane for part of the 30-hour round trip from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, to Kandahar airfield, which regularly comes under rocket attack. Said a Ministry of Defence spokesman: "He flew straight ino a theatre of war. The Taliban are all around."

While the future king of England was in the region for three hours, in contrast to his brother's three-month tour of duty, the trip has been hailed as a great success. William spent his time at Kandahar meeting members of the 3rd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment before flying to Ubeid Air Base in Qatar. "William's eyes were on stalks for the whole time he was with us, he couldn't get enough of the place," said an RAF officer who met the Prince.

As the main air hub for British troops, Kandahar regularly comes under attack from the Taliban and two British soldiers were killed by an explosion earlier this month. The Prince's Army mentor Major Alexis Roberts was also killed by a roadside bomb at the base last year.