The Prince of Wales has met with a road crash survivor who he and his former air ambulance crewmates saved.
The heir to the throne invited Jack Beeton to Windsor Castle after he received a letter from the crash survivor’s girlfriend, saying her partner had thanked all the crew from the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) personally apart from him.
William was an EAAA helicopter pilot for two years until 2017, and wrote a public letter about his experiences when his role came to an end, saying pitching in with crewmates to save Mr Beeton’s life gave him the “determination to keep going”.
Eight years ago, the East Anglian Air Ambulance and the NHS saved Jack's life following a horrific accident.
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) June 2, 2023
We reunited for a catch up with Jack at Windsor Castle ❤️
▶️ https://t.co/pPB5ZxMFNt
🚁 @EastAngliAirAmb pic.twitter.com/If7oGuAsbu
A video posted on William’s official Twitter account shows the future king meeting the crash survivor and his former EAAA crew members.
Mr Beeton was a passenger in a van driven by his uncle when it was in a collision with a lorry on the A10 near Cambridge in October 2015, which killed his uncle and left Mr Beeton with extensive injuries.
He says in the video: “From what I’ve been told and all the photos and whatnot I’m a very, very lucky young man.”
Commenting on the air ambulance crew, he said he was “saved by these guys”.
The prince joined the EAAA as a pilot in March 2015 and, after completing an initial period of job-specific training involving simulator, aircraft and in-flight skills training, began piloting his first operational missions in July 2015 before his last in July 2017.
In his letter about his time with the EAAA, William wrote: “Another rescue that sticks in my mind was to a young man who was involved in a road accident.
“His uncle in the car with him sadly didn’t survive, and I was sure that from what we were faced with he wouldn’t either – but thanks to the skills of our medical team he is alive today.
“We were first on scene and in such circumstances we all had to pitch in to fight to save the young man’s life. It is days like this, when you know you have made a difference, that give you the determination to keep going.”
